


Run Away With Me

by boleynhowards



Category: Love Live! School Idol Festival (Video Game), Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: Anime, F/F, Nozomi x Eli, Romance, eli x nozomi, nozoeli - Freeform, romeo and juliet - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2020-11-26 05:56:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 35,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20925275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boleynhowards/pseuds/boleynhowards
Summary: Eli Ayase has what every girl wants; she’s rich, she’s of noble heritage, but most of all she’s set to marry the prince.There’s a catch, though. Eli Ayase doesn’t have what she wants. With conflicting emotions and deep fear, things only become much more costly when stablegirl Nozomi Tojo is added into the mix.Now, with new love and impending pressure, Eli and Nozomi have to fight against regality and society to escape from marriage and find their own place.





	1. Preface

Long before the lifetimes of you and I yet far after time had a name, there was the Isao Kingdom.

A kingdom of riches, of wealth and of social purity, the Isao Kingdom was ruled over by the pure bred Isao family who reigned over the kingdom as royalty.

Underneath them there were the seven noble families; the Daisumes, the Chikamis, the Ryoichis, the Kioshis, the Masayukis, the Yumakos and the Ayases.

Everything was as you would expect it might be in a kingdom of the time; one great region with seven smaller regions around it all forming a large kingdom together.

There was one thing that set this kingdom apart from all others, however, and that was the competition.

Every time a new Isao prince came of age, he would have his pick of any of the daughters of the seven noble families. Occurring once a generation and of extreme high stakes, every noble daughter in the kingdom would put her entire life’s effort in an attempt to be that chosen one and be the next honourable girl to marry her family into royalty.

All but one. This is that story. The tale which seers failed to prophesiseand historians failed to uncover. This is the story of Eli Ayase and Nozomi Tojo. Read it with care.


	2. The Decision

On a sunny Saturday afternoon, Eli Ayase would much rather be anywhere else but here. Any other girl would dream to be in her position and she would gladly trade places with them, but alas, the one girl who did not want to be in the noble bloodline was the one girl who was in it.

The Ayase family had been around for a long time and had respectfully earned their place amongst the seven noble families of the kingdom, all serving loyally under the rule of the royal Isao family. Being the daughter of Lord and Lady Ayase, she had power, status and privilege, she had people fawning all over her on the daily and everyone, boys and girls, wanting to be associated with her in some way or another.

Downsides of being in the noble bloodline were all too prominent though, especially for Eli. Too frequently would she be called out of her comfort zone and into some type of event she didn’t want to be involved in, forced into some fancy dress to greet foreign visitors or sat down at a royal dinner party. One of the worst things, however, was the competition.

What was the competition? Well, it was a well known spout of rivalry between all the daughters of the noble families of the kingdom. Every one of the families wanted a special tie-in with the royal centric family and that came in the form of marriage to the king’s son, the prince of this competition being called Katsuro Isao. In fact, this was such a high desire that the noble families would often reproduce like crazy in order to get a daughter, just so she had a shot at marrying the prince.

The Ayases were lucky, they had a baby girl on their first try - and that was Eli. After that, they didn’t try for anymore children, spending all of their energy into growing Eli into the best young woman they possibly could so she would surely be the pick of the prince.

Their efforts were successful, apparently, because now Eli found herself in a grand meeting room sat between her parents at a shiny coated table with Katsuro Isao himself as well as his two parents, the king and queen, sitting on the opposite ends. 

The Isaos seemed relatively happy and Eli could already guess why. Katsuro had recently turned eighteen and as such it would be his turn to choose one of the daughters of the noble families to wed. What a privilege, to have your entire pick of seven different girls who would fawn desperately after you. It was quite unfair and yet it was the total normal.

Still, she was uninterested. And she tried to make herself look that way too by focusing on everything else around the room apart from the prince in front of her. Who would want to stare at the prince when there was the elegant chandelier above them, the bars of sunlight dancing around the walls around them or the regally knitted rug underneath them? Only her, to be honest.

That was just her luck, of course. It was obvious why she was called to this meeting at this time and this was only confirmed by the king’s next words.

“Good afternoon, Lady Ayase, Lord Ayase. Elichika.” He smiled politely at the family, extending his hand to shake each of theirs even though they had met before plenty of times. Had Eli not been comfortable before, she definitely wasn’t now after the addressing of her full name. She knew better than to correct him, though, else she would be severely scolded as soon as they got back to their own manor.

“Your Majesty, it is an honour to see you.” Eli’s father replied. Such a suck up, as usual. That was what Eli was thinking but she refrained from rolling her eyes because she knew that she was being watched closely. One wrong move from her and her entire family would be under public scandal.

“Now, we’ve called you here today because…” The king looked excitedly at his son in wait for him to finish his sentence.

“Elichika Ayase, I would like you to be the woman I marry.”

It was obvious what he was going to say and yet his words still brought great upset onto Eli. She could only hope that her expression or tone of voice did not betray her utter disappointment at the decision.

Of all the people, it had to be her. Of all seven of the girls, six of them were desperate to be in with the prince. And yet, the prince chose the seventh girl who had no desire in the world to be seen with him. In truth, she had never really found herself very interested in romantics at all. Looking at men had bored her. Whether it be some of her servants or some of the nobilities, she never got interested.

“Elichika, say something.” Her mother’s voice brought her back into reality.

“Oh! Uh..” She began, unprepared and unsure what to say. God, she was awkward. “Thank you. I am very excited to be your pick.”

It seemed like that was a good enough excuse as the queen was beaming along with both of Eli’s parents. Immediately after her acceptance (though was it a choice anyway?), the king and Eli’s father launched immediately into dealings, meeting times and how they would work out the whole arrangement. In that moment, anyone could see that the purpose of the wedding was not to bring together two young lovers and seal their connection but rather to exploit business and make useful social connections.

The next ten or so minutes of the meeting came in a blur to Eli. All she could process was that her father was quite literally selling her life and dreams away whilst she was sitting next to him and allowing it to happen. Worst of all she could do nothing in an attempt to stop him. She just had to sit by and allow her entire existence be condemned to being the prince’s lucky wife. No, she was certainly not lucky.

After what seemed like seconds but was actually a rather long time, Eli was jumped out of her thoughts by the sound of the others standing up and scraping their chairs under the table - the meeting had finished. She quickly followed them in doing so, trying to act as natural as possible for her own sake.

“I look forward to seeing you again, Elichika.” The prince bowed down to her, quite the large gesture coming from royal blood itself. He took her hand and gave it a small kiss before standing up again. Any other girl in Eli’s shoes would have exploded with joy then and there. Not her, though. She just had to hastily plaster on a (fake) smile and nod in agreement. Done.

As soon as they had left the royal palace and were out of sight of any guards or watchful eyes, Eli’s father immediately pulled her into a hug. A proud hug, a hug that screamed “Thank you for making me even more socially important than I was before!” rather than “Congratulations for getting married!”.

“Elichika, I am so, _ so _proud of you.” He exclaimed, happiness in his voice, “You have worked very hard for this, I know that. And you got it. You got it for you and you got it for us. Aren’t you proud of her, darling?”

“Extremely.” Eli’s mother beamed and patted her on the back, a little more aware of personal space and surprise hugs than her husband.

“Thanks…” The blonde mumbled in response, no longer having to act as enthusiastic as she was up in the meeting. Still, neither of her parents seemed to realise her dismay at the entire situation as they all boarded back onto the carriage home.

All through the journey back to the manor Eli could hear her father speaking so proudly about how his daughter was going to become the next princess and eventually the queen, babbling and boasting to the carriage driver all about how great this is going to look and how proud he is to have such a pretty girl. She just tuned his voice into background noise, meshing it in with the scraping of the carriage wheels against the gravel track and the constant clattering of the horse hooves.

There was no way she wanted this. Why did it have to be her? She was truly, truly unlucky.

It was quite a rich statement to say such. After all, Eli was the daughter of one of the most powerful men in the entire kingdom. For her entire life she had been spoiled and pampered and given everything she wanted at just the wave of her hand. She was already treated like royalty and now she was about to become real royalty.

That last part is what did it for her. Whilst most would dream of her life, she wanted nothing of it. No one talks about how constricting it is to be noble, to have pure blood. Sure, she was rich and fed and famous. But she was also trapped under the constant pressure of the public eye and her compulsive reputation.

God, she needed to be out of this situation.

Again she was snapped out of her daze by the carriage coming to a sudden halt which startled her just a little bit. She lifted her head to find them back at her home. The manor she had grown up in was huge - her home being the large mansion in the centre which was decked out with all the rooms you could think of. Around it were literal meadows for gardens, some acres being dotted with flowerbeds. In the far corner was a smaller shack of sorts for servants to sleep in and at the very back next to the garden exit were the stables.

The stables. That’s what she needed right now. Riding her horse was always a calming down time for her - Renshi was practically her best and only friend. There was something so freeing about letting the animal take over, guiding it with pulls of the reigns whilst mainly letting the sensation of air and wind rushing around you swallow you whole. Of all the things she could do, Eli was sure that riding was the best remedy for her upset right now.

So, immediately after hopping out of the carriage she made for the manor and changed out of the moderate dress she was wearing and into her riding gear. It was nothing special - just tight trousers that hugged her thighs and an equally tight button up that brought out her curves. To complete the look, she redid her ponytail to be even tighter and higher than it was before, making sure hair wouldn’t blow in her eyes as she rode. When she was sure she was ready to go she jogged downstairs and out of her manor, soon making it to the stable and walking straight in.

It was usually deserted but there was one girl who Eli instantly recognised as a servant based on the way she dressed. Actually, it was quickly deductible that her speciality in serving was with the animals, particularly the horses, as she was in a rather tattier version of Eli’s outfit. Tight trousers that hugged her thighs, just with a few loose threads. An equally tight button up that brought out her curves, ones that Eli took a few seconds too long looking at. Her hair wasn’t tied up in a high pony like Eli’s was but rather in two long twin ponytails that cascaded neatly down her back. Just from looking at her from behind, Eli couldn’t deny that she was beautiful.

Still, she was not here to gawk at a stablegirl. She would get her horse and then leave, that’s how it always went when a member of the stable staff was working when she wanted to go for a ride. But, after scanning the stables for her steed, she realised that just to her luck the girl was currently tending to it. Maybe she would have to strike small conversation with the girl after all, just to wait until her horse was finished with.

And so she approached the girl, speaking up and breaking the silence of the stable. “Hey, is he done soon?” The stablegirl jumped a little but regained her cool seconds later, looking around. “Oh, sorry… I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Her beauty was even more impeccable now she saw her face. Eyes of sparkling emerald looked delicately into her own shiny sapphire ones, fair skin featured with rosy cheeks and seemingly soft lips over her face. In short, Eli was slightly taken aback by the sudden sight of such beauty. At least to her it was beauty.

“It’s fine, I didn’t get scared.” Her voice was calming and had a tone of rasp in it, music to Eli’s ears. “He will be done soon, I just need to finish brushing his mane. Is he yours?”

“Yes, he is.” She took a few seconds to reply, “I wanted to ride him. But, that’s obvious..”

The stablegirl chuckled in response, “Well, I’m almost done. I’m trying to be quick because he’s the last horse I have to tend to. Then I’m off shift for the rest of the day.”

“You’re off shift? Do you want to come riding with me?” Eli had spoken the words without even thinking before them, suddenly realising what she had offered and immediately growing insecure and hesitant, “Wait, you don’t have to! I’m sure you have better things to do after working all day, and-”

“Relax.” The stable girl smiled, moving her hand from the horse and dropping the brush, “It’s fine, I would love to go riding with you. I was actually planning on going for a ride on my own horse after I finished up with yours.” She pointed over toward the corner, where an all black horse was laid down in wait for its owner to finish up and take it out.

“You will? I’m glad, then. Oh! My name is Eli Ayase, but…” She realised it was no use introducing herself, considering she was a famous face in the kingdom due to her nobility. “You already knew that.”

“Well, thank you for reintroducing me to you, Eli Ayase.” The stablegirl chuckled a little more, now extending her hand to shake Eli’s, “My name is Nozomi Tojo.”

Her skin was soft against her own, her hand molding into hers perfectly. Her name also rolled off the tongue, it was like nothing could put a flaw in this stablegirl.

“Nice to meet you, Nozomi Tojo.” Eli smiled, shaking her hand before Nozomi detached first and returned all the brushes and tools to the shelves of the stable.

“You too, our first formal meeting after hearing so much about you.”

The words were a little daunting to Eli. Sure, she knew she was definitely a common topic amongst the citizens of the kingdom considering she was noble bloodline, but rumours about her were always scary. Especially when a pretty girl was hearing them. She hoped they were nice rumours.

Nozomi entered the pen of her own horse, Ochobo, and began to tie on his saddle and extend the reigns over his muzzle. Eli quickly entered the pen with her Renshi in and did the same.

  
“You did a good job on him, he looks very fresh.” Eli noticed aloud as she climbed over and mounted him carefully. Nozomi had already done so on Ochobo, leading the way by trotting him out to the stable entrance.

“Thank you, it’s my job though.”

“Well, you do it well.”

The pair continued in conversation as they first started out in a light walk of their mounts until they got to the end of the manor grounds and up a hill that stretched out far and wide into beautiful picturesque plains - the perfect area for riders.

That’s when they halted conversation for a while and launched both their horses into full speed, gliding with the breeze as they galloped together through the green biome underneath the creamy blue skies. Eli, as always, loved the feeling and, as planned, it distracted her from the news she had received about an hour earlier.

But was riding the distraction or was it the girl she was riding with? Even in her free bliss she still noticed the girl in front of her, experiencing the same sensations as she was undoubtedly. It was strange to keep thinking back to her and yet Eli did enjoy it, some part of her just wanting to dismount already and continue their conversation. That was even stranger considering Eli would always ride for as long as she could, sometimes literally having to be dragged off her horse by her mother.

A part of her kept thinking back to the conversation they had just had in the stable. It was so natural to Eli, words coming to her instantaneously instead of her having to think of them like her conversations with everyone else. It was probably one of the only conversations she had had where she didn’t feel so awkward and stumbly, like she had definitely made a good impact on the talk.

For the majority of the ride, Eli’s thoughts were clouded with the girl in front of her and she couldn’t help it. She wondered why she had never noticed the servant Nozomi Tojo anywhere at all in the manor grounds before. Maybe she was new? She supposed she could just ask, but even so she felt a little guilty about it.

After a while, Nozomi held out her right arm to signal she was going to stop and slowed down her sprint. Eli did the same, noticing they had stopped by a large oak tree with branches hanging over to create large patches of shade for them to sit underneath - horses and all.

“I figured we could stop here for today. We can just chat for some more and let our horses rest in the shade while we do.” Nozomi explained, and that’s exactly what they both did. Eli agreed with the idea and they too went to the tree, sitting underneath it and staring out at the landscape.

“It’s always so pretty…” Eli was in awe, “The surroundings, I mean. It’s one of the things I love about going out on my horse, the locations I come across are beautiful.”

“They are.” Nozomi agreed, “I don’t get to see much outside of the castle because I have to stay there most of the time, so riding is the only time I get to see this type of scenery.”

  
“Oh.” Eli’s response was simple, feeling guilty because she had seen far better than this admittedly, and that all came from being noble.

“It’s okay though, not your fault.” Nozomi reassured her, noticing the guilt layered in her voice, “I like my job.”

“Is it fun?” Eli would be lying if she said she didn’t sometimes grow curious as to what it would be like to have a job like what the servants had - a job that was anything other than being a noble.

“It is to me because I like to tend the horses. Sometimes it’s rough but it’s much better than practically any other job out there right now. What about you?”

“I don’t have a job.”

“I know that. I mean is it fun to be in the noble bloodline? I bet it is.”

“It’s just… normal.” Eli was afraid to sound stuck up, so quickly followed it up, “I mean it’s all I’ve ever known and all I ever will know. Would you rather be in the noble bloodline or be where you are now?”

“I’m not sure. I have thought about what it would be like to be an heiress but I don’t think my personality is tailored towards that lifestyle.”

“Trust me, neither is mine.” Eli joked, earning a laugh from Nozomi. Again, music to her ears. “I would love to just be… normal, I guess. To not be under public scrutiny all the time. It’s a nice thought.”

“That answers a lot of my questions about you.”

“Questions about me?”

“I’ve always found you interesting, Eli.” Nozomi admitted but she didn’t seem embarrassed or ashamed by it, “You always seemed so different from the other six girls from the other families. I guess I know why now. I’m sure if I was having this conversation with any of them it would be a completely different outcome.”

“You probably wouldn’t even be having it, I don’t imagine they’re the type to talk to their staff or even go riding in their free time.”

“I doubt that.” Nozomi laughed again at Eli’s comments about the other six daughters, shaking her head.

“But I’m glad you found me interesting for good reasons, I think. I can’t say I was interested in you particularly because I just met you but I’ve always been interested in the lives of normal people. So this was a nice meeting to have, thank you.”

“No problem.” Nozomi smiled sweetly, “And, if you really think that, I wouldn’t mind doing this again sometime. I enjoyed myself.”

Eli did not expect to be invited again but that didn’t mean she was against the idea. In contrast, she was all for it. Spending more time with Nozomi even whilst she was right beside her and conversing with her at that very moment was an extremely appealing thought to her.

“I would like that a lot. I also had fun today.” Eli nodded happily, glad at the outcome of the ride.

“Then I’m even happier.” Nozomi grinned before she noticed the sun beginning to dip behind the trees. “It looks like the sun is beginning to set, we should probably head back.”

“That’s probably for the best.” Eli agreed and stood up, extending a helpful hand to Nozomi who took it and hoisted herself up too. The horses knew it was their cue and both rose up from laying down, soon after being mounted by their respective rider.

Again, Nozomi led the way but this time back to the manor. Eli felt even more free than before as she rode back in a cool evening wind now, watching the sky blend from light blue to tan orange to deep purples. It was a great feeling to follow behind Nozomi underneath the beautiful plethora of twilight colours, accompanied by her guide and the wind rushing past her. She didn’t want this good time to end but it had to eventually.

And that it did. Nozomi slowed down to a trot when they got back to the manor entrance and brought them back into the stable, where luckily another stable staff had lit up the torches. As the girls dismounted and began unequipping their horses, she was also the first to speak. “Thank you for today, Eli.”

“It’s no problem, thank you for coming out with me.”

“Well, thank you for inviting me.” Nozomi teased, winking in her direction.

“Hey, not fair!”

“It is!”

“Yeah, right!” Eli rolled her eyes, locking up the crate with all the horse gear in, “But, in all seriousness, I did enjoy myself today and I meant what I said at the tree. I would like to do this again.”

“Me too. Tomorrow?”

Even though she had suggested it and Nozomi had agreed she wasn’t expecting such a sudden second meeting. Nonetheless, she loved the idea and definitely wanted to meet Nozomi again.

“Tomorrow is good. Same time, same place?”

“That’s good for me.”

“Then I’ll see you here tomorrow, Nozomi.”

“You too.”

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Eli.”

The two bade each other farewell and then were off on their separate ways: Nozomi to the servant house in the corner and Eli to the large manor house overlooking the meadow gardens.

As she walked back to her home, Eli couldn’t help but add a spring in her step. Other than the meeting earlier in the day, she had had an amazing day. Nozomi was the same, smiling like an idiot to herself the whole way back and hoping none of her roommates in the servants’ quarters would notice and ask what she was so happy for.

There was one thing that no doubt could deny: both girls were heavily excited for the impending day.


	3. The Announcement

After their first meeting, the friendship of Nozomi and Eli blossomed easily. They had to put in minimal effort them to just click, as if the universe wanted them to become friends. Each day was the same wherein Eli would head to the stables where Nozomi would be waiting for her and they would ride out together on their horses Renshi and Ochobo.

Their meetings became more frequent, sometimes not even parting at all during the day until dark midnight skies reigned over the kingdom and they had to get some sleep. Each meeting would also follow generally the same structure: chat a bit at the stable, ride out and stop at the tree, chat there and ride back. The only difference from their first time riding being that their chat at the tree was no longer a five minute chat but rather a long one worth hours.

They found lots of things to talk about and learned various things about one another - some surprising and some not so. Nozomi told Eli about her past. Her father was a traveller and her mother took care of her most of the time. But when her mother died, her father saw it as his chance to leave and get a boost on his travelling as he no longer was held back by the restraints of a family. Eli found it a sad story, immediately offering Nozomi comfort and support but Nozomi shook it away, saying it was many years ago and she was faring very well working to support herself.

However, even though Eli had learnt so many personal things about Nozomi and she had shared a fair share of personal information on herself, Eli was still abundant with trust issues. It was a flaw of hers you could say. Maybe it was because she hadn’t had a proper friend for as long as she could remember, or because she was so used to being a public figurehead. Whatever the reason was, it was still very much apparent in Eli’s personality and so it kept her from disclosing certain things to Nozomi. One of those private subjects was the marriage.

Undeniably, it would be much better to get the topic of the dreaded marriage off of Eli’s chest, and the perfect person to do that to would be Nozomi. Still, she couldn’t get over the feeling of fear every time she thought about bringing the subject up to Nozomi, so she kept her mouth shut about it.

There was just fear. No matter how hard she tried to think of a reason she should distrust Nozomi, she could not find one. Nozomi had been nothing but nice to her since their first meeting. Fear, however, is almost impossible to shake away and Eli was no special case in this matter.

The other factor working against her confession to Nozomi was the fact that she didn’t want to burden her. Simple, really. Being the daughter of a noble family, she had large burdens to carry around with her and the marriage was one of those. That’s the reason why she craved to swap her place as a noble with someone else, because of the deep and heavy burdens and secret information she had to carry with her. And, because of that, she could think of no reason why someone who was blessed enough to not have to know of these things would want to know about them. For that reason, she did not tell Nozomi about the arranged marriage.

That didn’t mean she didn’t love Nozomi or enjoy her company any less. In fact, she was just ready to head out and meet her for some more riding until she was stopped by some bad news.

Eli had just gone down to the dining room of her manor, already adorning her riding gear. Her plan was to have some breakfast, sneak some out for Nozomi (she had heard that the food provided for the servant staff was not up to a nice standard) and then spend yet another day with her. That was going to be a fine day, Eli was sure, until she received news of the announcement as she tucked into her own food.

“Elichika, dear,” Lady Ayase was at the opposite end of the table, helping herself to some freshly fried eggs, “This morning we sent messengers out to announce your marriage to Prince Katsuro.”

Eli dropped her fork.

Of course she knew this was going to be coming eventually and she knew she shouldn’t be surprised but she still hadn’t expected it so early. Some thoughts that filled her mind on instant were the anxieties that now there was no way to back out of it considering it was made public, as well as the fact that the other six daughters would have a burning hatred toward her for stealing their place. The most prominent worry, however, was Nozomi and how she would react about something like this being hidden from her. She had to get to Nozomi and tell her quickly about what was coming, or-

“The whole kingdom should be informed by now. At least, our entire staff and most of our surrounding villages are.” Her mother continued, a smile on her face at the thought of her daughter marrying into royalty.

Great. Without a doubt, Nozomi already knew. In fact, she was probably one of the first to know. And she heard it from some random messenger of her parents first instead of her.

Why couldn’t her parents let her in on dates and timings of the wedding process? She could have worked around this! Now, however, she would be forced to face Nozomi with both of them having mutual knowledge that Eli kept a secret. Fantastic.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, maybe Nozomi would understand. She decided that she had to get to the stable quick to explain herself and to apologise, thus settling for a quick breakfast of only a few slices of toast. Afterward, she snuck some slices into the leather pouch she had brought with her and was on her way - much to the astoundment of her mother.

Running so quickly after eating caused a sick feeling of nausea to arise at the pit of her stomach but at this point she didn’t care. She had to get to Nozomi. So, she weaved her way through morning staff without even uttering an apology when she brushed them or shoved them. 

Her behaviour was so off that some stared in disbelief as they watched her go, rounding each corner until she finally made it outside. She was out of breath by the time she reached the stables, stumbling inside to thankfully find Nozomi filling up some of the horses’ water trays as she waited for Eli.

“Hey.” Nozomi greeted her simply when she looked up to see her. She definitely knew about the marriage. There was a difference in the atmosphere surrounding her. It seemed a little sad, like the air was heavy. Her mannerisms were also off that day, not bold and strong like usual but rather reclusive and like every action was a huge effort to her. Not to mention, just greeting Eli with a simple ’hey’ was very off for Nozomi.

“Uh… good morning.” Eli replied, nodding her head in hello. It was already awkward. The first interaction of awkwardness they had actually had, and Eli did not like it one bit.

“So you’re getting married, huh?” She had brought it up straight away, as would be expected. Still, her words seemed a little hollow, like she wasn’t happy for Eli at all. How desperately Eli wanted to tell her that she wasn’t happy with the engagement either, but that was against the rules.

This obvious despair from Nozomi caused a pang in Eli’s heart, a deep feeling of uneasiness and something she wanted to change. Desperation caved in to find some sort of method to make Nozomi feel happy again but she wasn’t sure how. This had to be because she was upset for a friend, right? Eli had never had a proper friend so this must be a part of having one. She was upset because she had in turn upset a friend. That was all it was.

“I’m sorry for not telling you sooner.” Eli apologised quickly, wanting to explain herself and hopefully lift some of the heavy feelings in Nozomi’s being, “I really wanted to, I swear. If I could have, I would have. But it was a confidential business deal with my family and the Isaos, I would be in serious trouble if I told you and you would be in even more if they found out you knew before it was made public. I’m really sorry…”

“Don’t worry, I understand.” Nozomi flashed her a tiny smile, one that looked like it was taking a great amount of effort to create. “I’m happy for you. Congratulations on your marriage. You… You must be really excited, right?”

“I am.” The lie was easy. She had told many lies before, all in the name of making the Ayase name look clean and polished to the public eye. Another lie was easy. However, this lie was different. Lies were always things she would quickly come out with when she was asked a question by another and she would feel no remorse or guilt afterward, it was just what she was brought up to say and how to act when the real answer of a question would make the family look bad. This lie, however, was not one she could just slide under the rug.

Lying to Nozomi didn’t feel right, it didn’t settle well inside of her. But she had done it now and she couldn’t just run back on her actions or else she would look suspicious and weird and it might make Nozomi even more upset that she lied to her. She was in quite the turmoil at this point and this only worsened by Nozomi’s dramatic mood drop after she told the lie.

Maybe it would have been better to just tell the truth about not being excited at all, because if Nozomi was upset before she seemed devastated now. The purple haired girl took a large swallow to get rid of the lump in her throat, nodding. It was an answer Nozomi should have expected, she knew that, but some slither of hope inside her wanted the answer to be the opposite. What a dumb thought, she knew she should have perished it as soon as it came.

“That’s good. Congratulations.” She was usually a talkative one when it came to speaking with Eli but she had to keep her responses short and simple. Nozomi was afraid that if she spoke too much at once her voice would break or her tone might betray her deep despair.

The feelings of heartbreak were even worse now she was face to face with Eli, looking into her ocean eyes and scanning her pale face. Her expression was masking guilt and that only made Nozomi feel more guilty because she knew her act was failing and Eli was feeling down because of it.

She didn’t know how to save such an awkward situation, not wanting to break the silence because she could expose herself and yet always being the one to take the lead when it came down to the two of them being alone. Luckily, Eli saw it as her time to start a new conversation.

“Are you still up for riding?” Her voice was layered in doubt, scared that she would be rejected due to Nozomi’s sadness.

“Yeah, of course.” Nozomi nodded her head firmly. Even through this moment, she would never deny spending time with Eli, especially in the form of riding together. It was the time she looked forward to most and it had always created new memories and moments that she was sure she could look back on and smile about no matter how much later she did.

With the new activity in mind, Nozomi quickly finished refilling the drinking troughs for the horses and both girls began equipping their horses with the necessary items as they always did. 

The one difference was that there was no conversation. There was an eerie silence that carried around the clammy stable air which made the act much less enjoyable. Usually they would be chatting all through this time, but right now they were just concentrated on getting Renshi and Ochobo ready for more riding.

Eli was particularly close to Renshi that day, realising that she would probably have to focus on him more than Nozomi or Ochobo considering the other girl was being somewhat distant. She understood why. She had messed up greatly and Nozomi was obviously upset because she had had secrets kept from her.

As usual, Nozomi led the way by trotting out of the stable, over the fresh dewy morning grass and to the expansive plains that they loved galloping in so much. No chatter, no conversing, just the sound of horse hooves hitting the soft ground. The guilt settled in properly when Nozomi began sprinting without warning. Eli watched as she did, quickly encouraging Renshi to do the same.

Back they were again on another ride. They had had too many to count at this point. Eli didn’t care for that though, she loved all the time she spent with Nozomi. Except for this time.

It was awkward. She couldn’t relax. Riding was always successful in taking her mind off of unsettling thoughts or burning anxieties in life, but this time she couldn’t shake off the thought that Nozomi was upset and it was all her fault.

That had to be because she was riding with the girl in question, right? That was why the feelings were so dominant and strong. It wasn’t a good idea to distract yourself from something with the person you were trying to distract yourself from.

No such thought occurred to Eli that maybe the reason she wasn’t being distracted well enough was because Nozomi was too much of a strong thought that even riding wouldn’t compel her to stop thinking about her. That maybe the fact that she was being accompanied by Nozomi wasn’t the only factor that prevented Eli from thinking about her. That Nozomi was too important to be thrown away by riding a horse.

For the first time in her life Eli craved for the ride to end so they could take a pit stop at the tree and hopefully she could do some work on reconstructing the sanctity of their friendship. She was already planning what she was going to say and how she was going to say it, growing a little joyous when the tree came into view. 

But no such time pitstop happened because, for the first time ever, Nozomi didn’t stop at the tree when they arrived, instead making a complete U-turn and going back.

This startled Eli a bit, not expecting it at all but she followed as fast as she could react and back the other way. She had really messed up, hadn’t she? Nozomi didn’t even want to talk at the tree anymore, meaning that Eli had no chance to fix the problems that she had made.

Her mood was low and deeply down on the way back, the riding having no effect on soothing her at this point. Her lip quivered and she focused only on the grass ahead of her, knowing that looking at her riding companion would cause her even deeper melancholy.

No explanation could come to mind as to why Eli was feeling so much about upsetting someone. She was usually a firm, strong minded girl who laid out her morals effectively. If it caused upset to someone then they would have to make do. Why was Nozomi so different? Why was Nozomi playing on her mind so much? It was tormenting; she was feeling deeply and she had no answers as to why.

The journey back home continued in a quiet and solemn fashion for both girls, each thinking to themselves similar thoughts underneath the skies as it shifted from crystal blue to charcoal black illuminated by the pale moonlight until they finally made it back through the meadow gate, trotting into the stable. Even the moonlight, Eli noticed, felt cold and distant rather than a warm glow to guide the way back home.

In silence again they removed the gear from their horses and locked it up in their respective crates. Now it was time for goodbye. A goodbye after an awkward day could only be awkward.

“Thanks for riding with me.” Nozomi broke the silence first, stepping out and locking up the pen with Ochobo inside.

“It’s fine, you know that.” Eli smiled as much as she could in that moment, always trying to be reassuring.

“Still… I’m sure you might like to spend time with your fiancé rather than with me.” Nozomi shrugged, glancing downward, “You’ve been spending so much time with me, you should really go spend it doing something more useful.”

“Nozomi, no.” Her self doubt broke Eli’s heart in ways she couldn’t quite explain, immediately jumping to her defence and walking over to her. She placed a gentle hand on Nozomi’s arm before she continued. “You’re my best friend, okay? No time with you is wasted. I promise.”

Nozomi smiled with her words, the first one she broke all day. Still, the title she was given stung, even if it was meant in all love and tenderness. “Y-Yeah, best friends…”

Hearing Nozomi say the term ’best friends’ didn’t sound right, like Eli wanted something more than that. She shook the thought as soon as it came, “And I’ll always enjoy company with you. That’s why I come here every single day.”

“I know, I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have doubted myself.” Nozomi looked a little more reassured now, like her resolve was building back up. It seemed Eli was finally getting that damage repair in.

“I hope you know that you’re my first friend…” Eli felt a little embarrassed admitting such things but she felt Nozomi should know, “Thank you.”

“Eli…” Nozomi had no words for a little while, just staring at Eli’s face lit up by the dim glow of stable torches. Eli was afraid she screwed up until Nozomi responded, “That means a lot. And, if it makes it any less embarrassing, you’re my first real friend too.”

This made Eli extensively happy and she finally flashed a smile, to which Nozomi responded with her own. Neither of the girls really wanted to depart from each other because things were finally getting back on track for them both, they wanted to finish with a satisfying ending. But…

“It’s getting late again, we should probably head to bed…” Eli was the one who brought up departure, always more pressured by guidelines and curfews than the other girl.

“Probably. But do you still want to do this tomorrow?” Nozomi was nervous that after the awkward events of the day Eli might not be interested in hanging out with her anymore.

  
“Of course I do.” Eli was quick to dispel this fear. “When have I not looked forward to spending more time with you?”

“You haven’t…” Thank God for the darkness of nighttime or else Eli would have seen Nozomi’s rosy pink blush.

“Exactly. So tomorrow, here. Same time.”

Nozomi nodded in confirmation.

“I’ll see you then. Goodnight, Nozomi.”

“Goodnight, Elicchi.”

“Elicchi?”

“Oh, it’s uh… it’s just a nickname I made up for you... “ Nozomi stumbled, scared it was too soon or she was coming on too strong and Eli would find it weird.

“It’s cute. I like it.” Eli, or Elicchi, beamed at it. She was definitely a fan of it, especially because it was coming from Nozomi’s lips.

“Then I’ll use it more often. Goodnight, Elicchi.” Nozomi spoke, confident in the nickname.

“Goodnight, Nozomi.” Eli repeated from earlier, being the first to exit the stable and make her way back to the manor.

She reviewed the day in her head as she did so. With no doubt most of it was pretty terrible. But the ending was amazing. She was pretty sure that her and Nozomi were cool again, that there was no awkwardness between them. And they had had a pretty nice heart to heart which ended with Nozomi giving her an adorable nickname. Yes, things had gone well in the end. It was probably fate because Nozomi was her best friend.Yes, that’s what it was. That was all Eli thought about until she got back to her room and fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Nozomi watched as Eli left, tears finally prickling in her eyes as she walked off of the gravel path and snuck quietly back into the manor house. It was bittersweet. Eli had just given her a mini lecture about how much she cares for her and how important she is to her. The bitterness? Eli had also called Nozomi her best friend in that speech. It was platonic.

It was a rookie mistake to end up falling for someone like the noble daughter herself but Nozomi couldn’t help it. With all the time they spent together the past few weeks she could only feel herself plummeting further and further into deep love with this girl, there being no holds or supports to stop her or help her back up.

That’s why she was so upset when she heard the news this morning. Not because Eli didn’t tell her, she completely understood that. But rather because Eli was most likely straight and in love with Katsuro Isao, the prince of the kingdom. The prince who could offer the soon to be princess so much more than she ever could as a mere stablegirl.

So, she sat down on a bundle of hay and allowed herself to cry for a little while before she headed back to her bedroom. It was her fault but she felt she deserved that much as she imagined the blonde in a beautiful bridal dress, kissing the prince with her soft lips and spending eternity with him instead of her. It was hopeless but she couldn’t shake it from her mind.

Still, she wanted the best for her Elicchi. If her happiness came in the form of Prince Katsuro then so be it. She would accept that fate, that the universe had it written in destiny that she was to be no more than a best friend to Eli Ayase if that is what made the girl in question happy.

She wiped her eyes on her sleeve and gave Ochobo one more hug around the neck before she made her way to the servants’ quarters, Eli still in mind. And she always would be, really. But Nozomi knew one thing: she had to savour her moments with Eli. It might be a case of unrequited love but she most certainly wasn’t going to turn her back on her. If only Eli felt the same way.


	4. Choosing Dresses

Eli was correct in thinking that things between her and Nozomi would turn back to how they were after their heart to heart that night. They did exactly that, both of them back in the same routine of meeting at the stable, horse riding and chatting. It was hard to believe they could grow closer than they already were but it had happened. Maybe that was because there was officially no secrets between them now.

Speaking of the wedding, Eli hadn’t brought it up and, thankfully, neither had Nozomi. Maybe that’s why things were going so well, but whatever the reason it was definitely beneficial for them both not to speak about it.

After more weeks of getting closer and closer still, they had tried to discuss new ways of hanging out together. Every idea they came up with was impossible in some way or another because of their complete opposite ends on the social scale. Eli was unable to sneak out to a tavern and drink with Nozomi because she would be recognised as the prince’s bride and noble heiress straight away. Equally, there was no way Eli could convince anyone that Nozomi should be allowed to be her plus one to a regal gathering.

As such, both of them settled on the only activity they could do together which was horse riding. Neither of them were complaining; they both loved the activity. It would just be nice to be able to expand their meetings to more than riding on a horse.

They both decided to just drop brainstorming for activity ideas when they realised there was nothing they could do for fun together. It wasn’t a big decision, just a mutual agreement that there was nothing wrong with each other’s company in the form of horse riding. So, Eli perished the thoughts for a long time until they suddenly came rushing back one day by a suggestion her mother had made to her.

It was just a normal day. Eli hadn’t gone out to the stable yet because Nozomi told her she had a different shift that day where she would be working some place inside the manor alongside other regular staff members.

So Eli spent the day lounging in the living area of the manor when in walked her mother carrying topics of the wedding.

“It’s about time we start finding you a nice dress.” Eli’s mother announced as she walked into the room, standing over Eli.

The news was not exciting. First and foremost it meant that the wedding was only charging toward them. But Eli was never one for dress shopping. She hated the hours on end she would usually have to spend in boutiques or dressing rooms trying on different dresses in search for the perfect one, especially because she was always accompanied by her picky mother who wanted the absolute best look for her daughter. However, something was different about this dress selection as her mother explained just afterward.

“So, I’ve arranged for you to be in for a fitting tomorrow.” This was definitely not how she wanted to spend her next day, especially when she could be spending it with Nozomi in the fields. “I know what you’re thinking! That you’ll be lost without some help because your father and I are visiting some neighbouring kingdoms tomorrow!” Her mother chuckled at this but in actuality Eli was thinking nothing of the sort; she hadn’t even remembered about their trip to other kingdoms until she just brought it up. In fact, she wasn’t even sure if she was told of this.

“Uh… then what am I going to do?” She went along with it, hoping that maybe she would be allowed to go on her own so she could make it as quick as possible.

“Well, it took some convincing of your father but it’s been decided that you can choose a member of staff to accompany you to the fitting room and help you pick an outfit. Now, how about-?”

Eli’s eyes lit up at the comment and a person quickly came into mind. Before her mother could even suggest someone to come with her she was already cutting her off, “I want Noz- the purple haired stablegirl.” She didn’t want it to seem like they were entirely close or anything otherwise that would be suspicious, “We… we have met a few times because I’ve taken much more to going out recently and she has been very nice.”

Perplexed was the best way to describe the look on Lady Ayase’s face at that moment. She had had some great people in mind for her daughter to select but she had been completely overrun at the choice of a  _ stablegirl.  _ There was no way that she could shift Eli’s mind though, not after directly telling her it’s her choice and especially not after seeing such a strong look of desire and determination in her eyes. Had she not known her daughter was heterosexual, she would be accusing her of having a secret love affair!

“If you wish for her to be your companion then I will find her and have her accompany you tomorrow.”

“I do.”

“Very well.” With that, Eli’s mother left the room and went to find out the purple haired stablegirl’s name so she could send her off on her way tomorrow. She had her doubts, very prominent ones, but she relaxed by convincing herself that she could just drag Eli out to find a dress if the one she picked was unsuitable. Yes, that would be her solution to a bad outcome.

Meanwhile, now she was back alone, Eli immediately began to question her decision. Was it the right choice to pick Nozomi to go with her to search for _wedding_ attire? After what had happened due to the announcement of the wedding she was unsure and growing nervous that their friendship would be struck with more chasms.

Still, Nozomi was upset because she was uninformed about the wedding, right? Maybe being looped into the production process and helping her choose a dress was just what she needed to feel involved. And it would give them a chance to spend time alone together in a place other than the stable, a problem they could not find a solution to until this opportunity arose.

It should be fine. That’s what Eli told herself as she calmed herself down. Now she had new things to look forward to tomorrow. Spending time with Nozomi still, but in some place else other than the stables. She was sure it would be a good day.

Nozomi was informed directly by Lady Ayase herself of the proceedings. The tone she used was quite demeaning, like she wanted to be nowhere near someone who associated with animals and cleaned up stables. Still, the message being conveyed was delightful; that she would spend some time with Eli all by herself.

By the end of the day, although they hadn’t spoken at all, they were extremely excited for the following one. And, with thoughts of what might happen the next day in their minds, they fell asleep easily and peacefully.

  
  


\-----

  
  


Discarded dresses sat at the corner of the expansive dressing room. They were ones that Eli had tried on and disliked or ones that Nozomi had frowned and shook her head at. Sure, she looked pretty in every single one, but not pretty enough.

They had met up early in the morning by the castle gates to catch the carriage over to a regal fitting room a mile or so from the manor. There was no awkwardness as Eli had originally feared, instead the pair of them launching into instant natural conversation and bantering that lasted them the whole carriage ride, into the building and up to this moment where they stood.

At first Nozomi was surprised at it. The fact that she was stepping into one of the great regal fitting rooms she had only heard about. The walls were a beige colour but coated in spindly designs of pure gold. The ceiling bore a great crystal chandelier and the carpet was a deep red colour and soft to the touch. Around the room were rails and rails of clothing and dresses and underneath those rails were matching shoes for each outfit. There was also an array of accessories to be mixed and matched with on the window sill, which in itself looked out to a beautiful scene of floral garden work.

Eli was stood in front of a grand mirror plated with gold, frowning at herself as she scanned each area of her body and disliked how it looked in the dress. Nozomi watched a few steps behind her, thinking that she was still gorgeous but knowing that it wouldn’t satisfy the vast majority of watchers.

“So much work to find the perfect dress, huh?” Nozomi remarked, using gentle hands to unzip the back without Eli even prompting her at this point.

“It is.” Eli sighed and stepped behind one of the covers stood up in the room before calling out, “Could you get the one we saw before? The short cut one?”

“Yeah, let me just find it again.” Nozomi confirmed and then went and found the same short cut dress as before, grabbing the shoes to accompany it and then passing them behind the cover to Eli.

After getting changed, Eli stepped out from behind the cover.

“How do I look?” She asked, twirling a little bit but then almost falling, “God, I’ve got to start learning how to walk properly in heels.”

Nozomi laughed and shook her head, guiding her toward the mirror so she wouldn’t fall again.

Upon seeing her reflection, once again Eli knew that this dress was not it. She didn’t even have to check it at different angles for this one.

“Is there even a dress good enough for me in here?” The blonde was growing impatient, putting her head in her hands.

“Calm down, Elicchi. I’m sure there’s something in here for you.” Nozomi sighed as Eli kicked off the shoes and went back behind the cover. “Why don’t you let me choose you a dress to try? You’ve chosen them all so far.”

“Okay.” Eli thought about it for only a second before accepting. Nozomi might be able to see something she couldn’t. On the other hand, though, Nozomi was a stable girl and was inexperienced with the whole procedure of dress fittings and royal balls and all the rest. She might pick something terrible. 

After a small search, Eli was handed over a white dress with a long train behind it and straps on the shirt’s arms that were made to rest on the biceps rather than the shoulders. It was rather large and so it took a while for her to get into it properly, but when she did she walked out slowly.

Breathtaking. Beautiful. Two words instantly sprung to Nozomi’s mind at the sight of Eli in that dress, her jaw slightly dropping at it. The top hugged her in just the right places. The skirt was long but it still fit tightly at the waist but much more widely at the bottom. It was conservative in decoration, bearing no patterns or extra threads but Eli still made it work somehow. It was low cut, just so much so that you could see a bit of cleavage, but not so much so that her entire chest was on display. In short, this was it. This had to be it. There was no other dress in this room that could possibly top the sight that Nozomi was seeing right now.

“Do I look nice?” Eli asked, turning around to the mirror only to have her question answered for her. She realised the same as Nozomi, that this dress was to be hers for the wedding without a shadow of a doubt. The stablegirl looked up to her face to see what she was thinking but the daughter had an unreadable expression. This blasted Nozomi into action, quickly approaching behind her (whilst avoiding stepping on the long dress train) and putting her hands on both of her bare shoulders.

“You look beautiful, Elicchi.” Nozomi spoke softly and quietly. If there was another person in the room they would have not heard her. The blonde just nodded, still with no words.

In that moment Nozomi grew a little worried. Eli was not the type to be so quiet for so long, and even if she was she shouldn’t be so breathtaken by her own appearance. In an effort to make Eli speak, she quickly rushed to the side of the room with the accessories and picked up a white bouquet of roses, ones that matched the dress. She pushed them into Eli’s hands.

“I-I’m beautiful.” Eli stuttered finally, looking down at the roses then back at herself. She then gazed to Nozomi’s eyes in the reflection of the mirror to confirm this fact.

“You are.” Nozomi smiled, brushing some loose hair that had escaped Eli’s ponytail out of her face. “Maybe you could wear this down for the wedding, that would be pretty…”

At this point she was just musing what she would like Eli to look like at a wedding where she would be the one to marry her. A wedding that would not happen but was still nice to think about.

Whilst Nozomi watched her in awe, Eli watched her own reflection with a feeling of horror creeping up her spine. This dress, undoubtedly, was the wedding dress of her dreams. She would be getting married in it too. Her wedding would take place in some sort of beautiful location with delicious food, fantastic scenery and only the highest ranking individuals would be invited to attend. Basically, everything would be perfect. It would be a dream wedding. There was just one thing that was not perfect about the event and that one thing happened to be the most important factor of it all; her future spouse.

Prince Katsuro. She was not in love with him. She barely even knew the first thing about him. But she was being forced to wear this dress for him, to kiss him, to publicly declare her “love” for him and then become a trophy for him. A symbol of the competition and an item in his collection. This wasn’t right. It would never be right and she knew that.

Eli’s hands started trembling first, sending only more quivers through her entire body that Nozomi was quick to notice.

“Are you okay, Elicchi? Are you feeling ill?”

Tears began to pool in her eyes and they quickly trailed down her cheeks.

“Elicchi! What’s wrong?” Nozomi launched to her aid, taking the bouquet and placing it down on the ground next to the mirror. Her arms were around the blonde faster than she knew it, desperately wanting to calm her down from whatever problems were suddenly appearing.

“I-I.. I don’t…” Eli began, choking on her words as more sobs just came up. She crumbled in Nozomi’s hold, finally weakened and finally not having the strength to act eager or apathetic about the wedding. It was killing her inside and she was keeping it in for too long. It was time to let it escape.

Seeing Eli so weak and fragile, so upset and not knowing the reason why broke Nozomi’s heart. She didn’t want her to ever feel so badly, so to see her crying like this so unexpectedly made her ache all over. “It’s okay, take your time…”

That’s what Eli did, simply standing in Nozomi’s warm arms whilst she waited for most of the crying to subside. When it did eventually morph into a small sniffle, she finally gushed about the situation. “I-I don’t want to marry Prince Katsuro!”

Getting that fact off her chest was freeing, like she had finally managed to unlock a cage she was imprisoned in and jumped out of it. For Nozomi, her words were shocking. Eli’s marriage was something she had spent many sleepless nights tossing and turning about, worrying about and ultimately crying about. Only to be told that it was one sided? Perhaps it was freeing for both of them, even if Nozomi felt guilty for being a little happy.

“You don’t want to?”

“I-I don’t! I don’t love him! I don’t even know if I’m into guys!” Eli spluttered, sobbing out all over again.

Yet again it was another freeing confession. That little secret about herself was something Eli had kept in for her entire life due to how taboo it was for anyone, let alone a daughter of nobility like herself, to be like that. However, for Nozomi it was another thing she felt extremely guilty about being a little uplifted about. Both the facts that Nozomi was not interested in Prince Katsuro and that she was into girls had been revealed right on top of each other. What did this provide Nozomi? A real, genuine chance at love.

Still, she wasn’t shallow enough to only be thinking of what this could mean for her. Nozomi recognised Eli’s distress as turmoils she had gone through herself when she was younger. She knew and she related. And, looking back at herself during that time of self denial and hatred, she remembered one thing she would crave; reassurance.

So that’s exactly what she offered to Eli during that time. She wrapped her arms even tighter around her sobbing frame, holding her close and rubbing her back in comfort. “Elicchi… it’s okay. It’s okay to feel like that, it’s not abnormal.”

Her words were soothing and comforting. Eli needed this. She needed it ever since she was a little girl and would strongly deny that she needed a prince, all the way until that moment as a young adult who hid the fact that she wanted a princess.

“If it makes you feel better,” Nozomi continued, still not letting go of her, “Me too.”

Eli looked up at Nozomi in disbelief. All her life, it had been drummed into her head that boys who like boys and girls who like girls were abnormal, one in a million. She had seen first hand two servants of the same sex get exiled from the kingdom because they had been caught in bed together. But, right now, Nozomi was telling her that she was a girl who loved girls. And she wasn’t ashamed of it; she was telling Eli, another girl who loved girls, it was okay. She couldn’t have asked for a better reaction from the first person she told.

“I’m happy you trusted me enough to tell me, Elicchi.” Nozomi smiled softly at her as soon as Eli calmed down again and pulled away a little, though she still remained in Nozomi’s arms which the purple haired girl delighted in.

“Y-You’re the first person…”

“Now I’m even happier.” Nozomi beamed, the fact pulling her even deeper into that abyss of love. “And I’m so proud of you. That was a brave thing to do.”

“T-Thank you.” Eli breathed, moving her hand to wipe her reddened eyes from all the crying, “And thank you for telling me, too.”

“It’s the least I can do. And it was about time.” Nozomi smiled, pulling Eli back in closer to her.

They stayed in that embrace for a while. Nozomi continued to keep Eli close to her, wrapping her up in a comforting warmth that she had never felt before from anyone. It was a nice warmth though, one that made her feel safe and sound, like Nozomi was going to protect her from anything or anyone that might set out for her destruction.

Looking down at her, Nozomi played with Eli’s blonde locks between her fingers. It felt great to hold her like this, like they had taken a step closer to Nozomi’s dream. A dream that was now confirmed to be entirely possible. She felt encouraged to say the least. But, most of all, she wanted to make sure Eli would leave this place happy.

“So… about the wedding.” Nozomi brought the subject back up slowly after a long time of just sitting in each other’s comfort and embrace because she was scared for Eli setting off again.

“Mhm?” Eli hummed, sniffling a little but she didn’t burst out into tears again. That was a good sign, Nozomi must have calmed her down significantly.

“I’m going to figure out something for you, okay? I promise.” Nozomi was determined on it. There was no way she was going to let her Elicchi enter into a life of unhappiness. Nothing would hold her back on it, she just had to think of something she could do in the following months that would alter the occurrence of the wedding.

“You will?” Eli looked up at her, her red eyes now glazened in hope.

In that moment, Nozomi realised how close they were. So close that she just had to lean down and her lips would be on Eli’s. The urge was tempting, almost everything in her pleading her to lean down and do it. But she had more self control than that. Eli was in trouble, in emotional turmoil. The last thing she needed was to be thrown into another circle of confusion because her best friend had kissed her. No, she would wait for the moment when it was right for both of them.

“I will.” Nozomi confirmed with a nod of the head, “I promise you that you won’t marry Prince Katsuro.”

Again she was wrapped into yet another tight hug, and again it lasted for ages. Eli pressed her head against Nozomi’s chest, hearing the heartbeat. It was calming, a reminder that Nozomi was there, she was alive and that she was on her side. That was all she needed. A companion who was with her, a beautiful companion of solidarity. It was all the better that that companion was Nozomi Tojo.

By the time they had pulled apart and packed the chosen dress into a bag it was nightfall. They would have loved to have gone off for a ride together but it was much too late for that now, knowing they both had to return to their bedrooms before things got too suspicious between them. So, they boarded the carriage to the mile long journey back to the manor. 

They were home in no time and both hopped out. Nozomi smiled at Eli underneath the moonlight as they arrived and halted at the fork between the road to the manor house and the road to the servantry.

“Tomorrow, yeah? Tomorrow we’ll go and ride all day long.”

“Tomorrow.” Eli nodded in response, already looking forward to it even though she was in the vicinity of Nozomi at that very moment.

“I’ll see you then. Goodnight, Elicchi.”

“Goodnight, Nozomi.”

It was Eli’s turn to watch the stable girl walk back now, all the way until Nozomi slipped quietly into the small shack of a house. When she was finally safely indoors, Eli turned on her heel and started walking back to the manor to her own bedroom.

As she walked through the silent manor halls, the events of the day kept replaying in her head. Firstly she had revealed both of her biggest secrets. And she rejoiced in the free feeling she now had now she no longer had to carry two massive burdens alone.

Another thing she thought about was how Nozomi was so kind about it. Her reassuring words, her advice, her warm tone of voice. It was all she needed at that moment, all she would ask the stars for when she laid awake at night with these anxieties in mind. It was finally hers.

But, most of all, she thought about how Nozomi felt. Being in Nozomi’s arms wasn’t only comforting but natural, like their entire bodies were crafted for that purpose. It felt like finally she was somewhere she belonged, somewhere where there was no fear to be felt, no doubt to be faced and no obstacles to overcome. Somewhere she could take down all the barriers and masks and be herself; Eli Ayase. Not Elichika Ayase: the noble daughter but Eli Ayase: the human.

As she changed for what seemed like the millionth time that day, she was grateful it was into comfortable pyjamas rather than yet another tight dress. Finally, it was time for her to sleep and enter a brand new day with Nozomi inside of it. So, with one last look at the stars she shut her eyes and fell asleep. But, just before she did, one last thought came to mind.

To her complete fear, warmth and utter obviousness she noticed one thing before she drifted off to a comfortable sleep: she was in love with Nozomi Tojo. But she also knew one thing too: she didn’t mind one bit.


	5. The Confession

For the following few days, Nozomi really couldn’t help but have a spring in her step. Even if she tried to hide it, she just couldn’t shake it out.

There was no doubt she was in love with Eli. In fact, she had come to that conclusion quite a while ago. It was the same conclusion that used to keep her up at night in quiet tears so as not to wake up any of her servant roommates. Now, however, there were no tears needed. 

Why? She had a chance. Eli liked girls too, she told Nozomi herself. And Nozomi was the first to know. It was something Nozomi always kept on thinking about. Whether she would be busy with her job, settling for sleep or doing something else entirely, the fact would always creep into mind someway or other. Did she really mean that much to Eli? Clearly, if Eli told her something like that. The purple haired girl just wouldn’t stop grinning about it.

That wasn’t to say she didn’t feel a little guilty though. Of course she did. After all, she was actually alarmingly happy about a situation that was applying so much pressure on Eli. That was the bad side of things; seeing Eli upset so clearly and so often made her heart ache unimaginable and indescribable amounts. It was completely unfair in Nozomi’s eyes, that a person so pure and true and beautiful should be thrown into such a harsh and constrictive situation. Such great injustices, ones of wretched anger and impossible injustice. 

Yet, at the same time, she would always be reminded by her conscience that she had that chance. A real, true chance with Eli Ayase. Previously, she had only dreamt of opportunities wherein she would be able to hold the blonde’s hand, caress her fair cheeks and kiss her seemingly soft lips. But, through them all, she would always remind herself that they were dreams and dreams only. Dreams that she would allow herself to have but also remind herself that they were only that. Dreams. Now? Sure, they remained dreams. But she could act on them and expect a real result. Maybe it was her dream come true. If she could successfully win the blonde over...

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Nozomi, Eli had also realised she was in quite a similar boat. She had also inadvertently fallen in love with her riding partner. And, for Eli, seeing Nozomi’s happiness in everything she did just made the girl even more beautiful.

It was true that Nozomi was always beautiful in everything she did, whether that be the way her two ponytails flew behind her as she rode, how she would gently tend to the horses or just the tone of her voice. Natural beauty just seeped from the purple haired girl, but it was only heightened by her overwhelming happiness. Eli just couldn’t get enough.

Joy simply radiated out of the girl and it was so clearly evident that some of it just lapped straight over into Eli too. The timing for this was perfect because life was certainly not faring the girl well at all in those days. With Nozomi’s contagious attitude things at least seemed to uplift, and Eli was extremely grateful for that fact.

That wasn’t to say that Eli was in the best mood, however. Anxiety still bubbled at the pit of her stomach at the thought of the upcoming wedding and it only grew more aggressive with each passing day. There was no doubt she was terrified before but now she was even more so, probably from finally falling in love herself.

With the pressure of an unwanted wedding around the corner, the restrictions of being a regal daughter and her duties in that role, you would expect Eli’s mind to be clogged with only those obviously important thoughts. However, Nozomi always seemed to break through those as an even more recurring thought. It was always Nozomi, it was just impossible to shake the girl from mind at this point.

When Eli had kept her feelings bottled up, she was always left to think about them on her own and try to encourage herself. Everyone knows that such efforts almost always fail, and Eli was no exception to that. Even if she gave herself some fake confidence boost, it would only be temporary and diminish within an hour or so.

With Nozomi, however, she had a different voice lending her a lot of helpful support. Never did Eli imagine that the stablegirl would be so good at advice, but the way she formed her sentences and played with her words was so endearing that Eli knew that her reminders would always genuinely uplift her - and she could listen to them all day, too.

Did it even have to be advice by this point? She was just soothing. Even without trying to, she calmed Eli down. Her voice was always warm and filled with graceful undertones that made Eli’s heart jump, her touch gentle and filled with care. Nozomi, as a human being was just an incarnation of what Eli could only define as perfect.

Whilst Nozomi was great to talk to, there was one bad thing about receiving advice from her. That was the fact that there was one topic that played on Eli’s mind the most, but was also the one topic that she would not dare to bring up. It should be obvious as to what it was; her (seemingly) unrequited love to the advice giver herself.

There was no way Eli would ever talk about that to Nozomi. She swore to herself she would do nothing to put the friendship at stake. The last thing she wanted was to make things awkward between them and lose who she truly saw as her real love. That was a risk she was never willing to take.

The girls’ brains swirled with thoughts of each other whilst they remained painstakingly oblivious to the fact that their feelings were actually returned after all. So, like usual, the duo still kept at their habit of riding together. 

After the dress choosing it was still the only thing they could do to spend time together, but like before they did not mind. No matter what they did, each other’s presence was enough. Still, they couldn’t actually get enough of each other. Constantly they tried to readjust their activities and work schedules to make the most of their days and to reap every minute together that they could.

That’s how they were spending this day, riding together out underneath the sun and enjoying the freedom of the horses and the presence of each other. Even moments like these, where they didn’t speak words to each other due to guiding their mounts were cherished and remembered by each girl dearly.

Usually, this day would be just like every single other day that they spent together. That was the plan too, on both parts; to spend the same time together admiring each other and wishing afterward that they could somehow step forward and show the other one their real feelings without making the situation awkward. Things don’t always go to plan, however. And, in this case, that was an extremely good thing.

Eli wasn’t even sure how she managed to get into this particular position, but there she comfortably was. It had been a long day, riding for hours as per usual and like all the other days they had spent together they took their routinely pitstop at the very same tree as the first day.

At the tree they would always begin talking and making up for all the chat they lost whilst getting to the shaded area, there never being a bland moment in their conversation upon arrival. This time, however, instead of sitting next to each other, Eli found herself with her head in Nozomi’s lap, staring up at her face and her emerald eyes.

Oh, God.

This position was amazing. How did she even manage to get here? Her head laid on Nozomi’s two thighs and the girl gently played with her blonde locks, curling them between her fingers. It was greatly relaxing to her. The situation was also so casual, Nozomi didn’t seem to mind at all about Eli’s position and that shocked Eli. Were they that close? She really, really hoped so.

From here, Eli could really see up close to Nozomi’s face. Every pore, scar and feature were plain easy to see. Every beautiful aspect right up close to gaze on for as long as she could. Her sparkling eyes looked almost lovingly down at her, her cheeks tinted with a perfect rose and her lips curled up in the tiniest (and cutest) grin Eli could ever have imagined. She would savour this moment greatly whilst it lasted, not knowing if she would ever get one again.

Surrounding them was more beautiful scenery. Though she was there near enough daily, Eli always found the plains a mesmerising sight. They still hadn’t explored them all in all this time riding together, they were that big. The grass was hilly which made for a perfect bouncy ground to ride around on, with trees surrounding the area as far as the eye could see to mark out a nice boundary.

In short, the entire situation was perfect. Too perfect. So perfect that Eli might just lean up and kiss Nozo-

No. She couldn’t do that. She swore to herself she wouldn’t do that and she intended to keep that true. Even if it was tempting, even if Nozomi was the most beautiful girl she had ever seen in her life… No, stop it. She couldn’t do that. If she kept on behaving like this then she would end up exposing herself and harming the relationship she already worked so hard to have. There was no way she could sacrifice that. Even if the benefits of the risk were so grand, so desired. Even if she was staring at God sculpted beauty, being held by angel spawn-

Please stop, Eli. She begged herself to stop thinking those thoughts, not so much and not whilst she was so close. She had to control herself or she would end up doing what she did not want to do; confessing.

But Nozomi was so, so beautiful. Perfection. A human like no other. It was too much. The emotions came in like a tsunami, flooding at an alarming rate that Eli couldn’t keep this bottled up anymore. Before she could stop herself, she was speaking.

“Hey, Nozomi?” Oh no. Why did she say that? Now Nozomi was looking at her expectantly. Her heart began beating at a rapid rate, knowing that she had just stepped into irreversible territory. Well, not necessarily. She could turn back. But there was no turning back. She had to do this now. Her heart was urging her onward. “You know I told you I like girls and everything…?”

Good start, right? She thought so, anyway.

“Yeah, Elicchi?” Nozomi responded attentively, always alert and ready if Eli needed to vent or gush or let off some emotions about anything. That’s what she expected in this moment, another vent by Eli.

“There’s one I think I might like.” The words were out there.

For Eli, it was terrifying. In just a sentence’s time she would be confessing her feelings and there was a great chance she would be turned away. Why did she get herself into this? Now she was regretting it more than ever, even though it had just been mere seconds since the situation began.

For Nozomi, it was disheartening. She thought she was too late, that Eli’s eyes had been caught by some other girl of the town and that she would fall back into the state of lovesick best friend with no chance. That’s what would happen, she was sure. It was practically her destiny at this point, it just felt like it was happening and was going to happen to her over and over. Still, she had to be there for Eli.

“Oh, really? Who?” She tried to sound as impartial and enthusiastic as possible. Even if she wanted to be that girl, she knew it was an unfair request to ask. She would just be there for Eli, there for her undeniable happiness.

“I-It’s…” One more word. Eli knew her confession was in just one more word. The word was stuck in her throat, too nervous to even choke it out. Too late. She had gotten herself into this, she had to finish this. Swallowing, she finally did it. “It’s you, Nozomi.”

Silence. Nothing could be heard other than the birds chirping around them in the green. Nozomi was overwhelmed. That was not what she expected. She had no idea what to say.

Could it really be true? That the dream she had been wishing for for the past month or so now was just given to her, just like that. It didn’t feel real. She was sure it wasn’t real, that she was just dreaming. Nozomi Tojo wasn’t one to get speechless a lot, but this was most certainly one of those times.

On Eli’s part, the silence was bad. Her mind instantly mistook it for failure, for awkwardness, for unrequited feelings. Why did she do this, again? Why couldn’t she control herself? She was a disgrace. Not wanting to face Nozomi’s unreadable expression any longer, knowing it would tear at her heart, she turned away her head and stared into the forestry.

“Elicchi, don’t be embarrassed.” It was easy to mistake Eli’s fear as embarrassment, considering her usual pale skin tone had turned to a complexion of deep blushing red. “Look at me.”

Eli looked straight back at her on demand, not wanting to disappoint her. Please, please don’t be mad. Please don’t be awkward. Please understand. These thoughts and more were all too dominant in Eli’s mind as she tried not to break down then and there.

“I like you too.”

That was unexpected. Eli’s mouth opened up in a small gasp without even meaning to, complete disbelief striking her.

For her, it was too good to be true, especially with everything happening; she just expected another problem to arise for herself. Nozomi liked her back? She had to be dreaming. She was going to wake up soon, she was sure of it.

Obviously, she did not wake up. So, she asked a follow up question. “You do?”

“Does this prove it?”

With no warning, Nozomi gently took her arms around Eli’s waist and carefully pulled her up so as not to hurt her. Now face to face, Nozomi made the first move by leaning forward and capturing the blonde’s lips in a kiss.

Fireworks. That’s a cliché, but it’s the only way to describe what happened. Everything was so sudden and yet it was also so perfect.

It was as if the two girls were made to kiss each other. Eli’s hands absentmindedly slipped to grip closely onto Nozomi’s sides, naturally pulling them both closer in the interaction. Nozomi guided with pristine precision, going not too hard but keeping it nice, gentle and filled with innocent desire and passion.

Neither of them could ask for more in that moment.

It was everything both of them were craving, each for the longest time. And it just put a stop to the entire world around them for however long it was for. Probably for only for a few seconds, though it felt like hours in the bliss.

Around them, the world seemed to halt. Stopping to allow the two lovers finally share this moment together, a moment they both undoubtedly deserved more than anything or anyone else.

However, all good things must come to an end and that included their first kiss. Being the one to initiate it, Nozomi was also the one to pull gently away and guide Eli away from her as she did, holding her securely in place in her arms as they just stared at each other for a while.

Eli’s eyes were full of joy and yet also pleasant surprise. Nozomi had managed to mask her surprise and showed only the contentment she felt at everything that had just happened.

“I can’t believe… you…” Eli was the first to break the silence, in complete disbelief at it all still.

“Shush…” Nozomi put her finger to where she kissed just seconds before, an even softer smile across her face now. “I can because you’re a beautiful girl, Eli Ayase. And I’ve liked you for a long, long time now.”

“You have?”

“The longest.” Nozomi nodded simply, looking briefly back on all the nights she would spend tossing and turning about her situation, all the times in which she would keep her mouth shut about her real feelings. All of those times only to have this brand new time prove each of those moments to be worth nothing.

“Well, me too.” Eli was clearly the more awkward of the two, to which Nozomi just found even cuter about the blonde. “I-I didn’t think I would tell you ever. It was an accident I told you, it just slipped out before I could stop myself.”

“But isn’t that accident possibly the greatest little slip up you made?”

“It is.” Eli was confident in that, nodding her head firmly. Nozomi just grinned and pulled her closer.

The pair spent a little while longer at the tree than usual that day, this time taking on the position of Eli wrapped up in Nozomi’s arms. Their conversation from then on was filled with more mini confessions, each of them telling their story about how they gradually began to realise their feelings for each other, how they would cope, all the way up until that moment.

As the conversation flowed freely, the signs each other dropped became all too obvious that they both were scolding themselves for not realising sooner. Nonetheless, they were both filled with glee and ecstasy at the sudden, successful reveal. It was truly great. Most importantly, however, it was real.

The ride back to the manor grounds was filled with giggles from and all around softness as each girl looked back on what had happened at the tree. Though the disbelief was almost subsided, they were still so overjoyed with what had happened that they both just kept replaying it in their heads.

Arriving at the stable again that night was almost a sad thing as they dismounted their horses and began to set them up for the night in their separate pens.

“This really happened, didn’t it?” Eli mused, mainly to herself. Another little quirk that Nozomi found adorable.

“It did, Elicchi. I like you and you like me.” The sentence out loud was an amazing thing to say, real true facts layering both of them in even more smitten happiness than they thought was possible.

“And we’ll… do you want to keep going on like this?” She had to make sure. She didn’t want to get her hopes up just to have made a dumb mistake.

“Of course I do.” Nozomi was quick to confirm. Now she reached this point, there was no way, not even in Hell, that she would turn it away. She had begged for it so much. It was hers.

Eli was only made happier by this as they both walked back outside, the grounds of the manor being illuminated only by the white sheen of moonlight over them. Now was time to say goodbye and goodnight, and neither of them wanted to.

“Tomorrow.” Nozomi was already quick to make arrangements to meet again, eager for more. Especially after the day’s discovery.

“Tomorrow, yes.” Eli confirmed, nodding her head.

“Then I’ll meet you here like always.”

“Yeah, like always. But different.” Eli’s addition caused both herself and Nozomi to grin, reminded verbally again of what had happened.

“Different in the best way possible, though.”

“Definitely.”

Nozomi wished she could just stay there and talk to Eli all night, but she also knew that neither of them could do that. Both were definitely tired from the day’s outing and she had an early start tomorrow. Undoubtedly, Eli had something to do as well. So, she had to be the one to end the day. “We should really get some sleep though, for now. That way, we can enjoy tomorrow even more.”

“That’s true…” Eli also did not want to leave the spot but she knew Nozomi’s words were fact and she would just have to agree with them. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

Nozomi nodded. “Goodnight, Elicchi.”

“Goodnight, Nozomi.”

And, just like that, they were both off on their separate ways once again. Whilst the departure was the same as it had always been, both of them were exponentially happy with this day in particular.

Could you blame either of them? They were both waiting on it for the longest time. And it was here, it was theirs. They deserved this.

Both went to sleep gazing out their windows that night, wondering what the other was doing. Wondering what the day coming would bring them. Undoubtedly even more happiness, especially with the confession in the air on both parts.

Yes, both of them were sure that this was the start of a long and fruitful relationship. And both of them were one hundred percent correct on that.


	6. An Impending Marriage

After that one interaction, things were set into motion quite easily. Everything was all natural, as if the kiss was something that the universe was waiting for them to do. In all honesty, it felt like it was like that, because following their moment there was nothing but happiness and ease.

This bliss lasted for a long time, each day somehow always getting better than the last without even trying for it. As usual, everyday was the same. Routine would often get boring for most people, especially when you’re going at the same activities every hour of the day for months on end. For them, however, there was never a dull moment, and that’s because their routine was centred around time with each other.

Whilst before their outings together were simple friendship meetings, they had now managed to successfully convert them into romantic dates with extreme efficiency and no difficulty at all. It had to be fate, there was no other explanation. Great comfort came to them both at the thought of their names being written in the stars, the same ones they kissed under each night. Everything they did was full of respect, affection and care which only heightened each other’s moods significantly everytime. Eli and Nozomi were undeniably as happy as they could be.

There was one thing that prevented porcelain perfection from blossoming, though. There cannot be light without shadow, as the saying goes, and unfortunately this was true for Nozomi and Eli as well. One thing haunted their marriage like a poltergeist, a cat ready to pounce upon its prey at any moment; the marriage.

Despite Nozomi’s reassurances and promises that they would do something about it, the event was still speeding even closer to them at alarming speed. In fact, it was getting so close that public proceedings were beginning to be put under way to prepare for the most anticipated event of the generation.

Though the wedding itself would take place in the prince’s much larger and greatly more regal palace, arrangements were still being made in Eli’s home city and all the villages that surrounded it. There was no doubt there would be mass celebrations in her area because it was quite the local honour to have your noble representative family be the one chosen to marry into the royal bloodline, which meant plenty of visitors from all over would come in and join in on the parties.

To accommodate this, decorations were beginning to be drawn up around the town and the palace. Bouquets of flowers were hung neatly around every post and candlelight of the town, swags and triangles of bunting of all different colours and patterns being draped over near enough every building the eye could see.

The manor house was no exception, with the servants being worked even harder to ensure everything was perfect. Stakes were extremely high at this point - one wrong move could end up with you being cut from the staff. Everything had to be pristine, with all of the servants chipping in immensely to make this so. From the grass being trimmed to just the right height, the silverware being polished to sparkling visionary and the entire grounds being kept neat and tidy, it was quite the task.

Of course, Nozomi was included in this effort. It was quite ironic to be part of the team preparing your own girlfriend’s wedding to another man, but Nozomi didn’t let it get to her. After all, she could call Eli her girlfriend now and mean it. Could the prince do that? No, he could not. She definitely had a one up on him in that area, and in her opinion it was the best area she could one up him in.

Still, even with all of this reassurance and confidence in each other, the wedding was daunting. If the marriage went forward, it would result in a quick succession of results that neither of the girls wanted to face at any cost. In quickness, Eli would be packed up and sent over to the main royal palace where she would be condemned to spending most of her time with the prince and facading love for him every day. Whilst this was bad enough in itself, Nozomi would obviously not be allowed to transfer over with Eli, forced to stay in her job as a stablegirl. In other words, if the wedding occurred then they would be separated. Forever.

The thought of this worried the pair of them sick whether they would admit it or not. It was a conclusion they both drew together and both of them resented the very thought of it. For them both, it meant closing the door on a realm of love and happiness and instead venturing down into the depths of loneliness and painful nostalgia. This was definitely an outcome to be avoided at all costs.

Managing the pressure and anxiety was difficult but still possible as long as they had each other, and both were faring with it decently. That was until even more preparations were made that completely sent Eli off her edge.

Eli was in the lounge for a little while longer that day because Nozomi was working in a morning shift due to all of the extra work being loaded onto the staff. She had planned for a relaxing morning as she impatiently waited for Nozomi, just about ready to head off to the manor library and find a book to entertain herself with for a few hours. Before she could, her mother barged into the room and began speaking.

“Elichika, the ball has been arranged!” Her mother exclaimed, clearly excited at what she had just said.

It took Eli some time to process what she had said, her heart dropping as she did. “...Ball?”

“Your premarital ball, darling! Did you think there wasn’t going to be one?” She was joking around, of course, but Eli silently wished there was not one at all. The thought of it panicked her entirely, bringing back all of those nerves and worries that Nozomi would do so well in calming. Nozomi wasn’t there though.

“I, uh-” Eli stuttered for a moment as no words came before she remembered that she had to play her part of excited bride to be. “I’m happy!”

Like always, her mother bought it and beamed superficially at her, going off on a tangent about how luxurious and popular the ball would be, how it would be talked about for generations to come and no one would even be able to dream of topping off theirs. Eli decided to slip out of the room and think.

A premarital ball. A real one, where only the most socially upward and regalest of people would be invited to attend. An event to mark the closing few days void of the marriage. One to celebrate the event and look forward to it with glee.

Just like last time, Eli was not told until the last minute of its arrival, basically being told the same day as everyone else was informed of it happening. And, again, just like last time, she was left with a sinking feeling of terror at the news.

This was not what she wanted. She had been complaining about her non consent but it was true, she did not want this and it was about to claim her life. With the ball happening it was becoming all too realistic and more and more exits out of the situation were closing up. If she wasn’t out of the situation soon, she would never be able to escape it. Such a realisation is a horrible one.

There was one key difference to last time, however. And that was Nozomi. Now she had a real, genuine support and someone who even shared the problem with her. So, on instinct, that’s the first place she ran to after receiving the dreaded update on her own supposedly happy engagement.

Practically running to the stables, she knew there was no chance Nozomi would be there so early because of the morning shift she was on. She was correct, the stable was empty upon her arrival. There was no chance she was returning to the manor, though. Some alone time whilst she waited for Nozomi was a much better alternative than to wait for Nozomi alone in that manor, her mother undoubtedly gushing all about her excitement for the ball.

So, she hoped Nozomi wouldn’t mind as she hoisted herself up onto a barrel of water and leant against the wall in impatience. Accompanied only by the sound of birds chirping from outside, horses occasionally braying and the oddly pleasant smell of hay at her nose, it was somewhat therapeutic for her. Maybe she would come here just to be alone more often.

She hadn’t noticed how much time had gone by, believing she was only there for about half an hour when she heard footsteps. Immediately thinking it was another one of the stable staff (though having no idea why a stable out back was being prepared for a ball), Eli prepared to jump off and pretend to be reigning her horse, Renshi, out of his pen. Looking up though, she realised that it was not a random member of stable staff but Nozomi.

Thank God.

Without even a thought, she practically launched herself off of the barrel and sprung into a very confused but equally as very fast reacting Nozomi’s arms. Now that Nozomi was here, she could finally let loose and pour out all of the emotion she had been keeping in for the past few hours.

“Elicchi, what’s wrong?” Nozomi’s voice was filled with concern as she held the blonde close to her. She knew that the world was being particularly hard on her girlfriend recently but she also knew that her girlfriend was handling it as best as she could. Even with that, however, Nozomi still got nervous that Eli was going to crack under pressure and this seemed like that is what was happening.

“I-It’s… they’re…” When Eli tried to explain it, she realised she had to say it aloud. Doing so only made the situation much more real than it already was and so she just burst out into tears at that point, shaking her head in panic.

Taking the initiative, Nozomi quickly hurried them both back inside the stable so no one saw them and closed the door for good measure, leaving it a little dim but having just enough sunlight peeking through the cracks of the windows and entrance. “Take your time, okay?” She tried to reassure her as always, rubbing her back gently in the place where she liked it the most.

“My mother, she…” Eli stopped again for a moment, swallowing down all of her chokes and sobs and pulling apart just enough to look up at Nozomi. Because of that, she gained enough confidence to keep going, even if she was shaky. “M-My mother, she came in today and told me of the premarital ball, i-it’s coming, and…” 

Again, she trailed off but Nozomi understood her worries. They resonated with her also, but right then she knew she had to be strong for the sake of Eli in her arms at that moment. “The ball, it’ll be okay, yeah?”

“I-I’m not even worried about the ball itself!” Eli was frustrated at her situation, outbursting without even meaning to. “I can dance, I-I’m pretty, I can do everything they’ll want me to do there. I’ll be fine for the actual ball. I-It’s just…”

Nozomi waited for the girl to find the confidence to continue.

“It means that the wedding is coming, a-and I can’t leave you! You mean too much to me, a-and I don’t know what I’ll do! I-It’s going to be terrible, m-my life is gone!” Eli began all over again, sobbing out and loudly. If anyone was outside they would have definitely heard. 

It went on for a while, and soon it felt like Eli wouldn’t stop. It didn’t look or sound like it, rather it seemed like she would enter into a real panic mode. Nozomi knew she had to act quick and so placed a gentle finger over Eli’s lips

“Listen to me, okay?” Nozomi asked softly waiting for an acceptance from Eli which came in the form of her barely nodding her head. “I know I’ve said this so many times, but I promise you that I will think of something. Time isn’t over yet, is it?”

Eli gave another slight nod at this, to which Nozomi continued, “I would never, ever leave you to just deal with things and let you marry the prince. Not only as your girlfriend but as someone who cares about you. Deeply. I know you don’t want to do that and you shouldn’t have to go through something that scares you this much.”

The girl in Nozomi’s arms stopped breathing so quickly, seemingly to slowly calm a little at the words as she listened in. “For now, I think the best thing you can do is just go to the ball. Act normal. But keep in mind that I’m working things out, and that it’s the last piece of effort you’ll ever have to put into that marriage. Trust me, okay?”

Eli trusted her. Eventually, with the peaceful tone of voice, gentle caressing of her skin and all around pure energy, Eli managed to calm down with Nozomi’s guidance. Well, not fully. The blonde was still clearly on edge about the whole ideal but it was also obvious that she was much, much calmer than she was mere moments ago. That was just the effect Nozomi had on her, really.

“Thank you.” Eli weakly expressed gratefulness, looking to Nozomi’s eyes again and being lost in her emotions as she was always prone to do. The next thing, she was pulling Nozomi closer to her and pressing their bodies together in the form of another one of many kisses.

This one was sweet and gentle, one of cooperation, care and harmony as they shared the moment and basked in the warm feeling they radiated to one another. As she was the one who initiated it, Eli eventually pulled apart from Nozomi but stayed with her purple locks curled between her two fingers.

Nozomi was the first to speak again. “I’m definitely going to be serving at the ball. So, if you want to, we could find a time to meet up during it?”

“I would really, really like that.” Eli nodded in agreement, knowing already that that one interaction would definitely pull up enough motivation for her to make it through the whole evening when it would eventually roll around.

“So, how about we meet when... “ Nozomi thought for a moment, “After the first dance? When you’re dismissed? First dances do actually happen, right?”

“Of course they do, clueless.” Eli joked, playfully nudging Nozomi. She always found it funny how Nozomi would grow a little confused and even hesitant when it came to talking about all the exact details of royal events.

“I’m not clueless! Just because I don’t know all your regal things!” Nozomi played defence, grinning up at the blonde anyway.

“You are!”

“Whatever, that makes you a bully, then!” Nozomi met her eye and suddenly gave her a smirk before cupping her hands over her breasts. “You know what happens to bullies, they get punished...~”

“Nozomi..!” Eli forewarned her, blushing deeply and quickly grabbing her arms and using them to pull her hands away before she could do anything.

“That’s what I thought, baby.” Nozomi smirked even wider before continuing on with the subject of their conversation. “So, after the first dance is okay, then?”

“That sounds good.” Eli confirmed, nodding.

“Then where can we meet? The manor is going to be really busy…”

The two girls were both left to think for a moment before Eli finally came up with an idea. “How about the manor gardens? I would say the stable, but it’s too out in the open and a little far from the manor. Most of the people will be inside the ball too, and if anyone does happen to come outside then we can hide behind one of the bushes and wait for them to go away.”

“That’s smart.” Nozomi nodded as she spoke, agreeing as there was no better alternative. “Okay, after the first dance inside the manor gardens. At that bench?”

“Where else are we supposed to sit?”

“Eli…” Nozomi brung her hands up again as warning.

“Okay, okay!” Eli stopped with the sassy attitude straight away. “The bench, yes.”

“Good.” Nozomi nodded and so their meeting time and place was confirmed. Even so, the purple haired girl was a little dissatisfied. “You might not want this, but can I still kiss you?”

“Please.” Eli nodded eagerly.

Again they shared another gentle kiss, enjoying the embrace of each other and pleasuring in the warmth before again pulling apart.

After their arrangements, they sunk back into regular daily conversation, flirting and joking around. Just as usual, they made each other happy as they reopened the stable and pulled out their horses, going out for another ride into the meadows, stopping at their favourite tree and engaging in even more delectable kissing all the way until the moon began to peek up from above the distant trees.

Riding back was as always peaceful and relaxing and before they knew it they were back into the stable where they had started their day off that morning.

“It’s another goodnight, then.” Nozomi sighed as she packed up her horse, Ochobo, into his pen.

“I wish we didn’t have to separate at night. I wish we could sleep together, like other couples.”

“I know, baby. Me too. But we will soon, won’t we? When we get things sorted out?”

“Yeah.” Eli’s heart swelled at just the thought of it. “We will.”

“In that case, let’s savour these goodnights as reminders that soon they won’t also be goodbyes.”

“Let’s.” Eli smiled, locking up her pen.

The two walked out of the stable and into the nighttime, all the way up to the fork in the track where they always made their departure.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” Nozomi kissed her goodnight one last time.

“See you tomorrow.” Eli’s cheeks warmed up as she did so.

“Goodnight, Elicchi.”

“Goodnight, Nozomi.”

For another night, they were both on their separate ways to their rooms. Nozomi was quick to slip into her servant room and climb into her bed, making sure not to disturb or potentially wake up any of the others she shared a room with. She didn’t really need to bother with that, for the two other servant girls she shared a bedsit with were always wrapped up in each other’s arms and usually fast asleep by the time she arrived back at night.

Nico and Maki? Were those their names? She couldn’t really remember, she hadn’t really gotten closely affiliated with anyone there (other than Eli, of course). Regardless, anyone might think that they were in their own relationship by the way they were so attached at the hip. Nozomi didn’t care to find out, however, because her mind was too full with her own relationship. Why would she worry about them when she had her dream girl, anyway?

Enough with thinking of the two other girls she shared a stingy servant room with, Nozomi climbed into her own bed and fell asleep peacefully with Eli present in her mind.

For the girl she dreamt of, going to bed was a little more hectic. Eli didn’t expect her mother to still be up and awake when she got home, so it was a nasty shock to see her sitting in her armchair in the lounge.

“You’re home late.” Her mother pointed it out, though she didn’t really seem to be annoyed or suspicious about it.

Nonetheless, Eli began to panic. But then she thought back to her comfort; Nozomi. And instantly she calmed down and gave out the excuse they had made together. “I’ve just found a lot of new riding ground lately. I really like it.”

Like all the other times, Eli’s mother bought it. “Okay then, dear. Just don’t stay up too late on important nights, like the ball and the wedding!” 

Well, that sentiment surely showed how much of a caring mother she was. Either way, Eli was glad she was dismissed with little regard and quickly sped up to her room, gratefully not meeting any more people along the way.

Trying to get to sleep swiftly, Eli changed into comfortable pyjamas of silk and laid back into bed, trying to forget the reminder of the upcoming ball her mother had just made. Even though she trusted Nozomi dearly, she really, really hoped that something would happen soon.

And so, with a little more unease than her girlfriend, Eli too fell asleep thinking of the other girl. That was the most comforting thought, after all.


	7. The Ball

The day of the regal ball rolled around incredibly quickly, at least it did so for Eli. She supposed that could be pinned down onto the business of her week, but that was also all because of the ball. Yes, she had spent that entire week with barely a minute of free time for herself because she was attending even more dress fittings (which, unfortunately, her mother was able to accompany her to), rehearsing the ball and practicing her walk in heels.

Anticipation really began to build now with the announcement of the event, the entire atmosphere of the manor and the civilizations surrounding it one of great excitement but also nervousness in case the event took a bad turn. That’s why Eli was forced into these practices every single day - to ensure an outcome like that wouldn’t happen. She was the star of the show, after all. The bride to be could not mess up.

All of it was immense pressure on Eli, and that was only complimented by the fact that all of the rehearsing cut down the time she could spend with Nozomi. The purplenette understood and was more than patient about it though, which was greatly relieving for the already stressed out Eli.

Keeping up as much as they could on their frequent meetings, the pair spent a large chunk of their time talking about the ball. That’s what they were doing the evening before, which also luckily (and surprisingly) happened to be a free night for Eli.

“I bet you’ll look perfect at the ball.” Nozomi stated aloud, her mind in thoughts and imaginations of what type of dress Eli would be wearing, how her hair would be styled and what makeup she would have. It was definitely a pretty sight in her brain.

“Yeah? Well, I think you’ll look mesmerising.” Eli countered, shaking her head and pecking Nozomi on the lips.

“Mesmerising?” Nozomi chuckled, “Yes, I’ll steal all the attention in my servantry outfit. They’re making us all wear matching black tuxedos, didn’t you know?”

“I  _ am  _ a sucker for a girl in a suit. Especially if she’s you.”

“Elicchi!” Nozomi giggled, a light blush on her cheeks.

“What?! You brought it up!”

The two’s conversations about the ball had managed to stay lighthearted and consisted primarily of excitement for their meeting and light flirting with each other all through the waiting period. 

This was also calming for them both, but Eli still had shaking and undispelled nervosity about the whole thing. Somehow, though, she had managed to calm herself down by remembering that Nozomi was going to be there too. That if she was ever panicky or upset at the event then she could just find Nozomi with her sight. It was just the effect the older girl had on her. Not to mention, she trusted Nozomi with all of her heart. If Nozomi said she would work something out, Eli believed fully that something would be worked out.

Conversations and evenings don’t last forever, and eventually (much to both of their dismay and Eli’s sickly dread), sad as always, the youngsters had to split up for the night.

“It’s a big day for you tomorrow, Elicchi. You should really head to bed soon.”

“I know…” Eli frowned, looking downward. “I’m just still nervous about it, I guess.”

“Baby,” Nozomi looked at her sympathetically, stepping forward and placing a hand on her arm in an attempt of comfort. “It’ll be okay. I’ll be there.”

The words resonated with Eli and she looked up firmly. “You will. I’ve kept reminding myself that, I think that’s how I’ve gotten through this entire week without having a complete breakdown.”

Nozomi had the tiniest grin at that response, removing her hand. “Well, I’m glad I can help you in that respect.”

“Me too.” Eli giggled, looking up whimsically at the night sky. “I wish we could one day sleep underneath it together.”

“So do I.” Nozomi followed her gaze and then looked back at the blonde, who’s features were being illuminated by the captivating moonlight. “And we will. I made a promise and I won’t break that.”

The blonde’s straight and almost sorrowful face cracked a pearly smile at that, turning back to face Nozomi yet again. “Goodnight, Nozomi. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight, Elicchi.”

Like that, they split paths yet again for another night and were both off on their ways. Eli was late in as usual, but this time she was lucky to find everyone fast asleep because of the hectic day ahead of the family.

She slipped into her bedroom and looked back at the stars, thinking back to what Nozomi had promised minutes earlier. The promise was a buoy for her, it was something that she could hold onto and float over the treacherous waters of life with. For that, and for Nozomi, she was extremely grateful. And so, the usually nervous girl fell asleep with nothing but a warm feeling encapsulating her, even if it was meant to be one of her most anxious nights yet.

For Nozomi, it was a little reversed. Both her roommates were still awake when she got back and each seemed skeptical about her whereabouts. Luckily, they weren’t the nosy type and she managed to brush them off with ease. Still, it was only another harsh reason she needed loaded onto her back to get out of there somehow.

So, she laid on her thin mattress and stared out of the tiny window for a while, her mind whirring with thoughts as she tried to lull herself to sleep. Looking at the stars, she too thought back to the promise she had made minutes earlier and knew she was not going to break it. That’s why she was spending this time of rest to think.

She must have been simply laying there and staring for hours before something finally clicked. A perfect plan. A great escape from the jaws of cruelty. This was it, definitely. Finally satisfied, she too eventually dozed off into slumber with the thought of her Elicchi in mind.

\---

The Ayase Manor’s ballroom was at quite the capacity. It was the evening of the ball and guests were still coming in at a steady flow. Classical music radiated around the room as the men and women gathered around at various places of the ballroom, helping themselves to food and drink handed out by the immaculately dressed servant staff.

It was like any other stereotypical ball. A prestigious event, the guests were only the most wealthy people of the highest status across the whole kingdom. Everyone heartily got along for the most part, interacting in tiring chatter about regal affairs that really no one else would ever understand.

Eli watched the forming ball from behind a curtain in the upper windows of the grand room, looking down at it nervously. She knew it was soon time for her cue to enter, and then the real festivities of the evening would kick off. Already was she dressed up in her outfit and she was definitely striking. Pale baby blue was the primary colour of the dress. The top was much like a corset that hugged tightly at her torso, bringing out her curves. The skirt wasn’t too ambitious, made of a more transparent fabric and puffing out the further it got to the bottom. All over the entire dress were occasional stitchings of white floral patterns.

In all, she looked great. Perfect, just as planned. Also on the plan was her entrance that was happening any time soon. She just had to be ushered down to the door when everyone had arrived and then the festivities would begin. Checking her reflection in one of the polished windows, she admired at how well the stylists managed to make her average ponytail look good, not to mention the intricate eye makeup they had applied to her.

Before long, the oaken door of the room Eli was waiting in swung open with no warning and, unsurprisingly, in walked Eli’s mother. She too was dressed up in a grand dress. Not as beautiful as her daughter’s, she knew it was unaffordable to steal any attention away from the star of the event, but still clearly rich in quality and wealth.

“It’s time, Elichika.” Her mother smiled, though it wasn’t a warm one of celebration. It was more like one of ambition and greed. This was just something Eli was used to, however, and she walked over to where her mother had extended her hand. “Do you remember everything you have to do?”

“Yes, Mother.” Not this talk again.

“Good girl.” The older woman brought her daughter through the manor and back down to the entrance hall, which was now deserted with all of the guests waiting inside the ballroom in anticipation for the bride to be to arrive. “Now, when you enter, you’re to immediately link arms with the prince when you reach the bottom of the stairs.”

“I know.” She had heard it too many times before.

Despite her attempts to show boredom, Eli’s heart was pounding in her chest. Face to face with the great doors, she knew that there was just one last barrier between her and masses of regal people, all of whom would have their attention on her. The thought made her sick, her knees shaking at the situation she was in. Bile caught in her throat as she stared at the doors, knowing that at any moment they would open and the final stretch before marriage would begin.

They opened.

Light talking that could be heard from through the door before instantly stopped as everyone in the room looked up expectantly. Music started on an instant, organs beginning a rhythmic and sensual piece, soon being joined by violins. It was time. She had to go.

And she did.

Stepping out into view was the most daunting part of it all, but as soon as that was over with everything else was easy. Swallowing the bile came quickly and she looked gracefully out at every single person. Light applause erupted from the masses, everyone fixated on Eli’s great beauty and a chorus of gasps joined the music for a split second.

Weeks of rehearsal had prepared her every move and she performed each one flawlessly. Dazzling smile to the crowd, check. ‘Natural’ wrist movement that showed off her diamond bracelet, check. It was going flawlessly. Making her way down the stairs, the music began to become calmer and the clapping died down. Finally, just as she reached the bottom step, the prince came into view and extended his hand.

Knowing she had no choice, Eli mustered the best smile she could and took his hand. He then led her to the very front and in perfect view of the crowds. Everything was fine. Her act was working. It was all fine. Perfect, even.

Her parents had been following behind her and they joined her with the prince at the front of the room.

“I am so, so honoured to be able to celebrate today.” Eli’s father began the first proceedings, raising his glass a little towards the people who were listening intently.

She managed to tune his talk out, knowing it would all be lies anyway. Happy marriage? Yeah, right. Successful marriage? That was more like it, that’s what he wanted. It was nothing for her to pay much attention to. Besides, she had heard the opening speech plenty of times during rehearsal.

So she busied herself with looking around the crowd. She didn’t make herself too obvious, moving her gaze slowly as if to make it look like she was being attentive to her father. It seemed to work, because no one pointed out a thing. 

She looked for Nozomi in the crowd, having some difficulty at first. There would be trouble, obviously. All of the servants lingered at the very back in the dimmer areas of the ballroom and all of them were dressed the same, proving quite the difficult challenge. Maybe she would have to catch her later, that’s what she thought until she found her from the corner of her eye.

Staring over in that direction, she focused on her girlfriend. She was different in her styled uniform; undoubtedly beautiful even if it was a mere suit. Everything inside of Eli was telling her to go over there but she knew she couldn’t listen to those instincts, instead just staring at her girlfriend instead.

Nozomi stared back, offering her a tiny smile and a thumbs up to show she was doing well. That was all the comfort she needed for that moment and she managed to tune back into the speech just as it was finishing up. Was she staring for that long? Or did Nozomi just make things go faster? Regardless, she was glad that was finally over.

Great applause filled the room for a while as he concluded his speech and that eventually faded out into chatter as the real ball began with all of the guests and centre people present. With a lot less eyes on her all at once, Eli was able to let her guard down a little bit. In reality, she was extremely uncomfortable but she knew she couldn’t slip. This was just something she had to do.

That she did. All throughout the entire time, she was forced to stand next to the prince and the two engaged in light and slightly awkward chatter about… life, she guessed. Eli almost felt bad, it really did feel like the prince was genuinely trying to impress her. Maybe he would have had a chance had he tried earlier. But now she was head over heels for Nozomi, and no one would be able to change that. Not even the wealthiest, most sought over man of the kingdom.

Every so often, people would approach her and her groom to be, offering their congratulations to them. While most of them were kind and genuine smiles and congratulations, she could always notice the occasional one that was fake and plastered.

“Congratulations, Prince Katsuro. Elichika.” One girl, who Eli recognised as one of the other noble daughters who took part in the competition, came up to them. Even though her words were meant to be warm, it was easy to see through to the icy tone and jealous core they held. It was almost laughable.

“Thank you.” Eli didn’t really know what to say to that.

“Yes, thank you very much.” Katsuro was a different story, giving the girl some small conversation and a charming smile as he shook her hand. Whenever people were gone, he returned to a slightly shy and refrained posture and attitude. Frankly, it reminded Eli much of herself. He was just a lot better at faking it, she assumed.

This happened for about an hour or two as the ball continued on into the evening, the pair of to be weds receiving all types of gifts, though they mainly seemed to be luxuries like fine wine and jewellery. It was beginning to get overwhelmingly boring to hear the same things over and over again, react in the same way and repeat it. 

Luckily, Eli was saved by another speech. This one came from the prince himself so it was arguably far more important than the first. Attentiveness rose once more as the partygoers gathered into their crowd position yet again to listen to the speech.

“I cannot believe that I am here today and about to marry Elichika.” The prince began his speech. Again, it was a monologue that Eli had heard many times before and so, after acting honoured and in love for the first few minutes, she allowed herself to zone out of the words and to search the audience for that familiar face yet again.

There she was. Nozomi. Again she was in the dimmer area of the room, the tray she was carrying at the start now mostly empty from the greedy hands of the regal people. It made Eli wonder if that’s how people saw her; nothing more or less than a spoiled rich girl who was lucky enough to be of noble heritage. It was quite an unsettling thought, but she knew that she also didn’t care too deeply about anyone’s opinions other than Nozomi’s.

Speaking of her, she was nodding encouragingly at her and sending her a proud smile for getting through this far. There was a mutual energy between them both, even though there had to be at least two hundred other people sharing the room with them. That’s just love though. It works in the best of ways.

More applause like last time threw Eli back into reality and she quickly joined in, plastering a bright smile on her face. Now all she wanted was for her and Nozomi’s meeting time to come, which was quite lucky because it was time for the first dance.

Everyone took their cue and all ushered further backwards to make a clear square space for dancing in the middle of the room. The violins began the music this time, all in a gentle harmony with each other to introduce the first pair to the dancefloor; Eli and Katsuro.

Being the man, he led her out and into the space just as the organs began to join the calm tune. This earned cheers and excited whispering from all of the attendees as they began their rehearsed dance.

It was a sight to see. Eli was definitely a pretty youth and so was the handsome Katsuro, making it quite compelling. Not to mention, Eli was especially experienced with dancing. Every move she made was majestic, like her entire life’s purpose was on this dance. Technically, it was. Katsuro was also a decent leader as he twirled her around, stepped and spun to the time of the music. They were definitely making a great impression. This would be talked about for weeks.

Eventually, as the first few loops of the song drew to a close, others began stepping out onto the dance floor with their dancing partners. It went in the order of hierarchy, starting with the most important of the elite joining them all the way down to the least privileged, until eventually there were more dancing than watching and there was quite the merry attitude in the room.

This was the cue. She knew that Nozomi was either watching her or was about to make her way to the manor gardens. Katsuro, however, seemed a little antsy on making conversation. 

She wasn’t listening in that much to what he was saying to her throughout the whole dance, and this must have shown when he said: “Are you okay, Elichika?”

“Huh?” Eli snapped her head back to him and away from the side exit door, which was currently empty. Just as she needed it to be, too.

“I asked if you were okay. You look like you’re zoning out…”

“I-I’m fine! I think…” This was a golden opportunity. “I think I just need to go to the bathroom. I’ll be quick, okay?”

Before he could even answer, she broke out of his arms and jogged out of the dancing and through the side exit door before it got populated once more. She felt a little guilty to leave him stranded like that, but she knew it was what she had to do.

On the way outside, she reflected on everything that had happened so far. Even at her own ball about her own wedding to another man she couldn’t get Nozomi out of her head. Hell, she was ditching the entire event to go and speak with Nozomi. They were that attached.

It didn’t take Eli long to arrive at the manor gardens, stepping outside into the dark night. Already there, thankfully, was Nozomi. She sat on one of the many benches that were aligned in perfect precision under large stone archways, each of which looked over at the beautiful gardens that were managed and cared for every single day by site gardeners.

“Nozomi!” Eli was entirely grateful for their organisation for this moment, immediately taking the spare seat next to the purple haired girl and falling into her arms. Nozomi was quick to wrap them securely around Eli as the blonde kicked her shoes off. “God, heels are so uncomfortable…”

“You still dance like a goddess in them.” Nozomi teased, pulling her up a little so they could be face to face.

“Well…” Eli tried to think of an equal comeback for a moment, awkwardly coming out with, “Well, you serve drinks like a goddess.”

“Elicchi,” Nozomi chuckled, shaking her head, “This is why you should leave the flirting to me.”

“I can flirt! If I couldn’t, why would you date me?”

“Because even if you can’t flirt you’re still adorable.”

Eli grinned, leaning closer into Nozomi and trying her best to enjoy the short moment together before she would have to go back into the dreaded ballroom. It was extremely comforting and relaxing to be held in Nozomi’s feminine arms rather than by the stiff hands of Katsuro, even if he meant well. Staring at the moon and gardens was just a plus.

“They make it so beautiful…” Eli whispered aloud in wonder, referencing the gardeners whomst she knew worked excessively hard here every single day.

“They do.” Nozomi nodded in agreement, looking out in the direction she was. She wasn’t a gardener herself, preferring to work with the horses and do occasional practical work like washing inside of the manor, so she did have some praise for the servant staff behind this.

The pair stayed in this position for a long while, Nozomi running her fingers through Eli’s hair just enough to satisfy her habits but not enough to mess it up. Eventually, Eli broke the silence again but on a much more darker note.

“It’s really coming, though…”

“Hm?”

“The wedding.”

That’s right. Nozomi had yet to tell the blonde about the plan she had devised last night to get out of the wedding. Eli was already off on a tangent about it, though, as she believed Nozomi hadn’t come up with anything yet.

“I’m scared, Nozomi. Really scared. I don’t want this, seriously. Not at all. Time really is running out. What do you think we should do? Do you think I should just tell my da-?”

“Run away with me.”

Eli was taken aback by suddenly being cut off, even more so when her worried brain finally processed the words she was given.

“What do you mean? R-Run away?” Eli knew exactly what she meant despite asking. It was just a great shocker to her.

“It’s our only option, isn’t it?” Nozomi gently turned Eli’s head to look her in the eye, “If we leave soon, we can take our horses to the nearest dock and pay for a place on the next ship to leave this kingdom. No one will know who we are in the next. We can be normal and we can be happy, which is all we want!”   
  


Could the solution really be so simple? It was almost too much so. Yet it was perfect. There was nothing here for Eli to enjoy other than Nozomi and she was pretty certain that the girl felt the same way if she was suggesting this method. So why was she so opposed? It all boiled down to one emotion: the fear of being caught.

“I-I don’t know, Nozomi…” Eli stuttered, feeling nervous and guilty to turn the idea down.

“Why?” Nozomi cocked her head in confusion.

“Well, what if we’re caught?” Eli’s mind instantly drew to the outcome if that happened, her eyes widening in terror at the worst, “Then we’ll never be able to see each other again and they might execute you! I-I can’t let that happen!”

“Shush, baby, calm down…” Nozomi soothed her a little, rubbing her arm. “Think of it like this, okay? If we do this, we actually have a chance. There aren’t any more options and if we leave you to get married then we’ll definitely never see each other again. We have to give it a shot, right?”

There was no denying that Nozomi made a strong argument, all of her points valid. But it still didn’t address Eli’s biggest fear. “But if you’re executed…”

“I would rather be executed than live life without you.”

The words were spoken so casually and yet they brought Eli chills all over her body. This feeling was indescribable. Complete, true and pure love captured her even more than she knew was possible, and yet so did the shock of knowing that someone felt the same way about her at the same time. It was overwhelming and it was impossible to keep herself.

Tears began to pool in Eli’s sapphire eyes and Nozomi just brought her in to show her than she was being real and true. For a while they stayed in that position, Eli clinging onto Nozomi like an anchor - to which she practically was over the troubles of the last few months.

“Nozomi…” Eli finally managed to get out, pulling away from her and looking her in the eyes. “I love you.”

Of all the things Eli Ayase had ever said, that was the thing she was most certain of. The one thing she would never regret to say and would keep on saying for the rest of her life if she had to.

The firmness in her voice even in her weak state was enough to bring Nozomi a few tears herself, but she quickly wiped them away to be strong in the situation. “I love you too, Eli Ayase.”

The two girls shared a great cuddle, no longer caring much for the constraints of time placed upon them by the regal ball happening in just the building next to them.

It was a while until Eli spoke again. “And… I’ll do it. I’ll run away with you.”

She was finally confident in it. The experience she had at that moment, laying in Nozomi’s arms, the feeling that engulfed her entire being was much too strong to deny. An escape attempt was worth it. The risk was worth it if it meant that she could spend her eternity with Nozomi. That was another thing she was entirely sure of.

Nozomi pulled her into a kiss, one of acceptance and gratitude and pure, innocent and passionate love. Of all the positions they had held that night, the kiss was the longest as they just worked with each other’s lips, producing even more of the butterflies around them and the sparks inside of them.

Eventually, however, Nozomi had to pull away for some breath before she spoke. “Now go back to the ball, my love. They’ll start wondering where you’ve gone off to. Come to the stable first thing tomorrow and we’ll sort out when we leave, okay?”

Eli nodded quickly in response, quickly wiping her eyes and standing up. It was sad to see the moment end, but she also drew from the moment much more confidence and security than she could ever have mustered before.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then. Goodnight, Nozomi.”

“Goodnight, Elicchi.”

With that, Eli gave Nozomi one last smile and slipped her shoes back on before jogging straight back and in the direction of the ball. She almost tripped on the way which Nozomi found mildly amusing.

When she turned the corner, Nozomi was left on her own. She stared back up at the night sky, relishing for a little longer in the calm breeze and the lingering feeling of her love’s warmth in her arms and on her lips. 

A soft smile now layered her face as she admired the stars that twinkled so easily. Being with Eli was all she wanted and it was also exactly what was happening. It was a fate that could only be written in the stars, determined by the destiny she had always believed in. She had no idea how it was, but she had definitely become the luckiest girl on the planet. There was no doubt about that. None at all.


	8. Caught

Eli didn’t get to bed until about one in the morning, when the last guest was out the door and Prince Katsuro, the king and the queen had all given their farewells. The ball’s proceedings went on well into the night, leaving the girl quite exhausted by the end of it. Luckily, she didn’t have to clean up or help with the after process. Thank God for servants, huh?

Despite getting a late night, however, she found herself opening her eyes around the time of sunrise. Sixish in the morning, she guessed. The cause of this was probably the fact that after her conversation with Nozomi out in the gardens, all she could think about was the task they had at hand. Running away. 

She knew it would be hard, daunting and troublesome, that it would test both of their strengths and it would show no mercy. She also knew, however, that she and Nozomi would only develop as people because of it, as would their relationship. With that motivation and the thoughts of being happy with her love, she was ready to face the great risk of things.

As such, excitement bubbled up in her stomach the further she thought about it. She wondered if in the next kingdom she would be allowed to hold hands with Nozomi in public or marry officially. Whatever happened, they were going to be able to bring their relationship to new levels, do new things and experience each other. That was something that kept Eli excited.

Last night, Nozomi had instructed “first thing in the morning.” This was it, surely. Well, even if it wasn’t, Eli figured she would be fine to just sit in the stable for a while and relax. After all, she had done that before and found it quite soothing. By now she had pinned that on the fact that the entire place reminded her of Nozomi and hoped that she and Nozomi could run their own stable in the next kingdom.

So, with feelings of great anticipation, she pulled herself out of bed and began to prepare herself for the day ahead. Usually, she wasn’t permitted out of bed before a certain point because of safety reasons and all, so, to counteract that, she dressed in mostly dark attire to blend in. Nothing too rich or fancy so she could hopefully pass off as any other servant in the manor. That would be ironic.

By the end of it, her hair was loosely strung behind her back in her signature ponytail and she adorned a dark brown set of tweed clothes to quickly pass in and out. All she had to do was keep her head down and she should be fine.

She was correct. She managed to exit her room and make it all the way outside simply by keeping her head down and not meeting anyone’s gaze. Though she passed a few servants on the way, she figured they were much too busy preparing for the day ahead to notice the faces of anyone else who walked among them. The closest call was when Eli had garnered a few “good morning”s, to which she swiftly responded with a nod of her head.

All was well as she made her way through the morning’s cold breeze, following the mud path to the stable and arriving in no time.

There she found Nozomi, who was acting completely and surprisingly normal. She was just tending to the horses as she usually would, feeding them their grain and rewatering their troughs.

“Hey.” Eli greeted simply, breaking the silence and making Nozomi startle a little. She recognised the voice instantly afterward though and began speaking for herself.

“Elicchi, you scared me.” Nozomi chuckled when she turned around, waving in hello. “Good morning, love.”

Eli walked closer up to Nozomi, who happened to be caring for Eli’s horse, Renshi, at the time. From there she noticed that not only was she feeding him but she had also saddled on a traveller’s saddle to his back and muzzle, along with what looked like much more food and drink than the other horses. Looking over, she noticed that Nozomi had also done it to her own horse, Ochobo.

Nozomi followed Eli’s eyes, deciding to instantly go through her plan with her. “I’m preparing them for tonight. When we escape.”

“T-Tonight?” Eli’s eyes widened. She knew they would leave soon, that was inevitable. She just hadn’t realised it was that soon. Maybe that thought brought in more inklings of fear that so far she had managed to bury.

“We have to do it tonight, baby. It has to be as soon as possible.”

“I’m sorry, I’m just nervous…”

“It’s okay.” Nozomi nodded understandingly, “But if we put it off for longer then there’s a chance that one or both of us will be caught up in some sort of chore or duty. And then we might never be able to escape before the wedding. We don’t want that to happen.”

“We don’t.” Eli nodded in agreement, understanding why Nozomi had chosen that same night.

“I would say leave now, but it’ll be much darker and emptier in the streets at night so you’ll have less of a chance of getting spotted. The problems of having a famous girlfriend.” Nozomi tried to lighten the mood with a small grin.

“Shut up.” Eli playfully rolled her eyes, giving her a light punch on the arm.

“You don’t want me to.” Nozomi chuckled, her eyes lit up with a bit of happiness. It was unbelievable to her that this was happening, that they were having this conversation. It was all she dreamed of and wanted and it was finally about to be hers.

“I do.”

“Okay, okay. Fine.” Nozomi put her hands up in a fake surrender, a slight smirk still on her face regardless. “Anyway, tonight.”

Eli was back in full seriousness. She knew that this was their one shot of escape and happiness. With that in mind, the blonde knew that she couldn’t afford to mess up. If she did… well, it wouldn’t end well. She didn’t even want to think of the consequences, just the possibility of them made her heart ache in a way she couldn’t quite describe.

Nozomi continued by asking: “You have that vault room, don’t you?”

“Yes.” Eli nodded. Her mind flickered over to the room in question; it was a small room down a spiral staircase that was locked behind a great stone door. Inside of it was piles of riches, basically all the Ayase family had to offer. Eli had been there a few times with her father, but other than that it was completely off limits.

“I need you to take some money from there.” Nozomi knew it was a great request but it was essential.

“Nozomi…” Eli was nervous, but she knew it was necessary. “No, I’m sorry. I want this. I’ll do it.”

Nozomi’s face lit up, grateful at the lack of persuading she needed. She pulled Eli closer to her.

“Thank you, Elicchi.” She smiled softly at Eli, running her fingers through the girl’s bright blonde locks which caused her to sigh in content. “Pack lightly too. Just as many clothes as you can carry and the money.”

“The money and as many clothes as I can carry.” Eli nodded in response, repeating the request back. She was mentally preparing herself for the task, running through exactly what she would do in her head. Doing so made butterflies of anxiety and excitement dance around her stomach. It was really happening.

“And then tonight, as soon as the moon rises, meet me back here with the things you packed and we’ll ride out.” Nozomi concluded the plan, and at that moment she realised the reality of the situation. “We’ll ride out…”

“We’ll ride out together to our future.” Eli added onto the sentence.

“I know, Elicchi, I just…” Nozomi was struggling to find words, her heart pounding in excitement against her ribcage and her veins gushing ecstasy all around her body. “I can’t believe this is actually happening.”

It was one of those rare occasions. Nozomi allowed some tears to pool in her eyes. Usually she would blink them back as soon as they even so much as threatened to arrive, but this was Elicchi and she could trust Elicchi.

“Nozomi, don’t get all teary on me or I’ll get like it too.” Eli joked a little with a grin, wrapping her arms around Nozomi and pulling the stable girl against her. She kept her arms around Nozomi’s frame, kissing her forehead gently and rubbing her back.

“Sorry, I don’t usually get like this.” Nozomi chuckled slightly at herself but didn’t bother to wipe the tears (which were now trailing gently down her cheeks) away. “I just can’t believe this. You don’t even understand how much I wanted this…”

“Tell me about it, love.” Eli glanced through the small windows of the stable and knew they had plenty of time together. The joys of meeting this early. Sensing a long discussion, the blonde guided them over to the bales of hay stacked up at the far end of the stable and lowered them both to sitting position before resuming the previous holding.

“Well, I always thought you were pretty, for starters…” Nozomi felt a little shy considering she was usually in control, but she didn’t hold back. “But then we met in the stable officially on that day and went for a ride and I could already feel myself slipping into that state of love. At first I tried to stop myself, but I just couldn’t. You’re insufferable, Eli Ayase.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I went through the same.”

Nozomi shook her head, continuing. “For countless nights on end it would take me hours to get to sleep because I was tossing and turning, worrying about how deeply I was falling for you and how little chance I had. I thought you were straight and I thought you were in love with the prince. If only I knew…”

“Nozomi…” Eli blushed, tears swimming in her own eyes now.

“That day when we were choosing out dresses for you, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t checking you out the entire time.” Nozomi chuckled, nudging Eli slightly. “But seeing you in all the beautiful dresses and knowing it was for your wedding with some man made me a little bit sad, you know? But then you let me on your secret.”

“I like girls.”

“Yeah. And I suddenly got this huge flash of hope. I actually had a chance with you. It was such a drastic turn of events and I didn’t even expect it. Did you notice me flirting with you after that?”

“Thinking back on it, I do notice now. At the time I was only just beginning to fall for you, so maybe I was in that phase where you notice nothing that your love does to indicate they like you.”

“Well, I was already head over heels for you. And then, that day at the tree. We were so close. My heart was actually racing, to be honest. Then you confessed. I had no idea what to do. I was suddenly hit with this big bombshell, this thing that I wanted for ages. It just came and whacked me. I’m lucky I picked myself up quickly, though.”

“And then, after that, we started our little romance.”

“Our romance, yes. And it’s brought us all the way to right here, right now. We’re going to do it. You’re going to run away with me and I with you. And then we’ll be happy together.”

“It’s so surreal now that we talk about it like this.” Eli, like Nozomi, was now also in a state of shock and was mind blown at just how far they had come.

For a while the couple both stayed lodged comfortably in the bales of hay, Nozomi remaining ensnared in Eli’s warm arms. The only thing that broke the silence was their occasional soft ramblings, the sound of grazing horses and the gradual sound of birds as they began to chirrup awake.

Everything was perfect. They were in tranquil harmony. Their worries, which they had been fighting through for months on end, were finally simmering down and coming to a close. Now, right ahead of them was a future that they both knew would be bright. It was finally their time.

After the golden sunrise ended and the sky became the pale shade of morning blue, both girls came to the mutual understanding that it was time to depart. That in itself wasn’t a bad thing, however, because they also knew that it would be the last time they departed.

“I’ll see you tonight, love.” Nozomi kissed Eli’s temple in the doorway of the stable as they both looked up at the manor.

“I’ll see you then.” Eli nodded, turning around to face Nozomi and pulling her in for a kiss on the lips.

“Bye, Elicchi.”

“Bye, Nozomi.”

Eli finally began her walk away from Nozomi and the stables and back to her house. Her house for just a few more hours. Her heart raced at the thought. The thought of freedom, the thought of being normal. But most of all, the thought of being with Nozomi. It was all a dream come true.

She couldn’t wait.

\---

Not everything goes to plan, and that’s something Eli learnt the hard way.

The first thing she did upon re-entering the manor was slyly glide through the staff members. There were a lot more about since when she first awoke and made her way outside, but they were still all too busy prepping for the day to even notice that she was among them. In no time she was back into her room with the door safely closed behind her.

Now she had to prepare for the nighttime. Relaying Nozomi’s instructions in her mind, she first approached her closet. In there she took out her actual day’s outfit, changing from her quick stealth tweed and into a casual yet elegant attire as usual. When that was done, Eli then picked out some more changes of clothes and laid them out neatly on her bed.

At that point she realised that she was quite inexperienced in the whole housekeeping thing, considering she had had servants run her errands her entire life. Embarrassed as she was that she couldn’t even figure out how to neatly fold her clothes, she finally settled with merging them all into an awkward square of fabric.

With that done, she dug around again in the bottom of her closet, finally pulling out a small brown travel pouch. It was a little ragged and maybe a bit flimsy from being discarded down there as soon as she came into possession of it but it would work. A smile cracked on her face as she stuffed the clothes messily into the pouch (again: inexperience) and laid it under her bed. The realities of what was happening just kept doubling her over.

That whole process took about twenty five minutes. On that estimate, she made another: her parents should be downstairs by now if they weren’t already and the servants should be in full alertness and swing. That bothered her a lot, as she realised she still had the most daunting task of the list to complete; stealing the money.

Regret filled her as she wished she had taken the opportunity just half an hour ago when no one was really paying attention. With eyes dotted around the house, it would be near enough impossible to sneak down there without gathering suspicion.

But they had come this far. Eli knew she couldn’t just stop now. There was only one thing between them and their escape and that was the money. Was she really going to let this obstacle stop her from being with Nozomi after everything they had overcome? There was nothing that could sway her from wanting and needing the stablegirl’s warmth, her love and her affection. With this resolve, Eli’s decision was final.

Her first position upon walking downstairs was to sit in the lounge. The seat she chose was on purpose. Of the large room, this long sofa was the only one which faced a particular corridor. And along that corridor, at the very end? The staircase that led down to the treasury.

Entertaining herself with a book, Eli tried to calm her nerves. It didn’t work too much considering most of her time was spent keeping a watchful eye on the corridor rather than on the words. It surprised her how much the servant staff used it.

What was also something suspicious and something she didn’t plan out was the actual fact she was staying inside. For the past few months now, she was outside as soon as possible and inside as late as she could be. So, when she hadn’t left her spot on the sofa for an hour, Eli’s mother grew a little confused.

“Why aren’t you outside today?” she brought it up suddenly, causing Eli to jump a little in fear that she was caught.

“Oh, it’s just that my wedding is coming up. If I spend too long outside I might get a sunburn. Or if I spend too long on the horse I might hurt myself.”

Like all other times, her mother bought it. Really, a terrible parent. But that wasn’t the bother right now. Again, staking out the area, Eli’s golden moment finally rolled around about forty five minutes after that quick exchange of words.

It was like the moment was presented by God. The lounge was empty and so was the corridor. No servants were coming in any direction. This was it.

Eli swiftly closed the book and placed it back down onto the table she had found it on. Looking behind her just in case, she was fueled with confidence when still no one emerged from any other entrance in the room.

She sprinted.

Quietly and yet with great speed, she was bolting down the corridor and made it to the opposite end in no time. It was dimly lit down here considering that this wasn’t really an area of the manor that people were supposed to go to, but that actually worked in her favour. Her figure should hopefully blend in with the shadows.

That didn’t matter too much, though, because she didn’t linger for longer than she needed to. Within seconds she was speeding down the spiral staircase. It almost made her dizzy with how much it was winding around and how fast she was going. So, when she made it to the bottom she took a moment to lean against the wall and gather herself.

It was claustrophobic in this area. Eli figured she was deep underground for there were no windows and the staircase seemed pretty long now that she thought back on her pace and the time it took. Here at the bottom was even more dark than the dim entrance at the top. Just a tiny area, circular in shape to hold the stairs. It must have been a tower. Along the bottom was nothing other than some barrels underneath the stairs and a flickering candle that was nearly expired of wick. Most importantly, however, was the door.

Just as she remembered it from her few supervised times down here. A hard stone, so much so that it almost blended in with the wall. A door between her and her entire wealth. A door between her and escape. Eli’s heart began to race even more than she ever knew it could. It was the final step. She had made it.

Eli placed her hands over the door and began to push. It was a test of great strength but she had made it, thankfully. Something told her that the door hadn’t been used in a while. It made a loud scraping noise as she pushed which might have alarmed her if she wasn’t all this way underground. No, right now she was safe.

Or so she thought.

Climbing into the room, she was greeted with the metallic copper smell of coins. Her eyes took a while to adjust to the darkness - the candle in this room had burnt out long ago - but she eventually began to make out shadows of the wealth.

Piles and piles of golden coins and relics were stacked everywhere, the only clear space being a little at the front so someone could walk in and out. Eli was overwhelmed. But she continued nonetheless.

Pulling out the small pouch from the inside of her clothes, she bent down and began scooping up the piles of coins and throwing them into her bag. Eli didn’t even bother to check the value, just focusing solely on gathering as many as she could.

It was a quick process and the bag was generously full in minutes. There. Done. Now all she had to do was run upstairs and everything was complete. That was also quick, just reversing all the steps she had done before. It was easy, so easy! She was going to escape! She was going to spend her life with Nozo-

“Elichika.”

The voice addressed her as she was walking back to her room. Eli was far out of the treasury, out of the dim corridor, out of the lounge. She was steps away from her room! Steps!

Ice trickled down her spine and her heart dropped. There was nothing she could do other than obey unless she wanted to look suspicious. Holding her breath in fear, Eli turned around to meet the owner of the voice of cold command.

Her father stood before her. His expression was icy. His eyes looked like they were hiding a great fury and his lip was twitched. Eli knew she was in deep trouble. Her legs felt wobbly and her limbs felt heavy. This was going to be it.

“I’d like to see what’s in the bag.” His voice was demanding and yet oddly cool. It almost made Eli confused, as if he wasn’t angry at all. But she knew better than to fall into such traps. After all, she knew her father well. Hidden underneath that ruling smile of valour was a dark heart that only she and people close to him knew.

“I-It’s food from the k-kitchen.” Eli stammered in response, hiding the bag behind her back. She would give it her all. There was no way she could allow for this to happen. Her dreams were in her grasp. Hell, she had her fingertips on them. She just needed to grasp them.

“I want to see what’s in the bag, Elichika.” His voice was a little shaky now, clearly trying to hold back shouts.

“I said it’s food from the kitchen. I-I got hungry, so I came down and-”

“ _ And I want you to stop lying to me and your mother! _ ” He lunged forward, his calm exterior broken down. Eli’s teenage strength was no match for his own, and in no time the pouch was ripped from her fingers and wrapped up roughly in his.

Eli’s vision began to blur. She didn’t know if it was tears or fear or both, but all her senses just numbed. It felt like she was submerged in stagnant water. Her dream. It was in his hands. His prying, cold hands. His hands of destruction and his hands of greed.

She wondered why she even gave herself hope for this long. Eli always knew that her entire life was going to be determined by her father, so she didn’t know why she allowed herself even an inkling of hope that things would turn out differently. She was a fool and now she would face the consequences.

The sound of the bag being ripped open brought her back to her senses. Some of the coins clattered to the ground from the sheer force that was used, matching in uneven cacophony to Eli’s heart.

“You… You thief, you!” His anger was unimaginable. Eli had never seen him get so angry. And now she was suddenly on the receiving end. His whitened knuckles threw the pouch of coins to the ground as he made advances to Eli and she was too frozen in fear to stop him. “You ungrateful wretch! You filth!”

He screamed in her face, uncomfortable pushing her against the wall and causing her to release a small yelp in pain as she hit it. She shook her head in fear, closing her eyes and desperately wishing the situation away.

“Look at me when I’m speaking to you!” His voice thundered as he pulled her off the wall and slammed her back a few more times. The pain and fear of receiving a harsher beating forced Eli to open her eyes once more, her own terrified sapphire ones being pierced by his raging grey ones. “We give you everything! We give you a pampered lifestyle, we give you a loving family and we give you whatever you want!”

“I-I’m sorry!” Eli whimpered shaking her head. At times like this she would have liked to call for Nozomi, but she knew that the girl was probably way outside and oblivious to what was happening at this moment.

“We give you food, we give you a stylish upbringing! If it wasn’t for me and your mother, you would be a tramp! This is why we wanted a son! Hell, another daughter! Someone who would actually be grateful for what we have done! Instead, we are burdened with you!”   
  


Eli tried to drown out his rage, but how could she when she was pinned up against the wall with him the only thing in sight? Tears began to pour from her eyes as she continually shook her head.

“Why are you crying, girl?! You have nothing to cry for, you..! You are lucky enough to marry the prince, thanks to me and your mother, and here you are stealing and lying to us! I’m sick of it! I’m sick of you!”

Eli just had to listen to the words.

“For months, too! All those little lies you would slip! Did you really think your mother bought into them? Fool! Dunce! Headassery! As soon as your mother noticed your suspicious behaviour this morning, it was only a matter of time before she told me! And she was right! Look at you, you sticky fingered little…”

He was running out of insults, clearly. His rage rendering his speech basically useless. Eli didn’t know what to say. Even if she did, she wouldn’t say it. His fuse was already long gone and still in explosive action, adding more fuel to that fire would result in something terrible, she just knew.

“You’re going to stay in here!” Eli was suddenly ripped from the wall again, and before she could even register what was happening she was thrown by the ear into her bedroom. Ah, her bedroom. It was mere steps away. And here she was, thrown off at the final hurdle. She hated herself. “And you’re not coming out until your damned wedding, when we can finally get rid of you! God bless Katsuro for volunteering to take your wretched soul off our hands!”

The door slammed before Eli could even muster anything to come back. There she was left on all fours on her back, staring at the wooden door in fear and shock. Her entire body hurt from how he was throwing her around earlier and her ears rang from the screaming. Most of all, however, her heart sunk and ached. 

Despite all of that treatment, the first thing that came to mind was still Nozomi. The clicking of the door soon after he was gone confirmed that she was locked in here. Locked away from Nozomi. Locked away from their escape.

And Nozomi was oblivious. As far as Nozomi knew, the escape was still on. Nozomi was still buzzing with delight.

Eli sunk further into her carpet and finally allowed herself to sob out loud. It was gone. Her hope was gone. Her life was gone. Her chance with Nozomi was gone.

\---

It was nighttime. The moon hung gently in the air and the stars twinkled brightly. Such a beautiful night. A beautiful night for beautiful things, Nozomi noticed. It was the night she was going to escape with her Elicchi. It was wonderful.

Though Eli was running a little late. Nozomi didn’t mind though, as long as she was there soon. Just a little longer and they would be darting off and away together. Just a little longer.

The two horses she had dragged out and prepared were starting to grow bored of standing. Nozomi was too. But just a little longer.

Just a little longer.

That turned into a while longer. And, after waiting for what must have been two hours, Nozomi finally came to the dreaded realisation that Eli wasn’t coming. Her initial reaction was to be deflated. But then she remembered it was Eli, and Eli was just too great to do something like ditch her.

Yes, that was it. Something must have gotten in the way. So, even with disappointment, she kept an optimistic standpoint and packed the horses back into their stables. Eli could explain tomorrow, anyway. Then they could escape. Postponing it to a day wouldn’t matter too much. They would be fine.

That’s how she found herself in the exact same position the next night at the exact same time. Only this time, she definitely wasn’t in a hopeful mood. Eli hadn’t arrived for riding that day. It was the first time in forever that she hadn’t done so. There was a complete cut off. No communication, no nothing.

Her heart ached at the feeling of being left behind. Of being rejected after everything they had been through together. Even so, she still had a fleeting feeling that Eli just wouldn’t do such a thing. So, again she packed up both the confused horses for a second night in a row and headed back to bed, this time with even more disappointment and fear than earlier.

The second day with no riding and the third night was enough for Nozomi. She was angry. Her resolve was broken.

After everything they had been through together, Eli had decided to just leave. Did she really mean that little? Was that really it? Had she mistaken Eli to be kind and loving, when really she was just a heartbreaker?

Tears pooled in Nozomi’s eyes but she didn’t allow them to spill. She wouldn’t. There was no way she would allow herself to cry over someone like Eli. Someone who pulled her around as she desired and then left at the last moment. That wasn’t happening.

For the final night, Nozomi dragged only one horse back into the stable. It was Renshi. Following that, she didn’t go back to her bedroom on the grounds, filled with disappointment.

No, she did something much different.

She mounted Ochobo and darted off. Through the manor gates and into the path to town. With or without Eli, she was going to escape. Hell, she would escape just to spite her. She didn’t need her.

Yet, even as she tried to convince herself that, Nozomi couldn’t help the tears that just poured from her eyes. She really thought she had found that once in a lifetime love. She hadn’t. She was cheated. So she had to continue.

Looking back up at the stars, which were still so beautiful, she whispered into the darkness of the night. “I hate you, Eli Ayase.”

With that, she began her determined venture. To escape. To live freely. But now, most of all, to never think of that blonde again.


	9. Lost and Found

Hearty chatter filled the air as townsmen swung back their goblets of beer and drank away, constantly asking for a refill whenever a waitress would pass their table. It was like this all day and all night, everyday and every night. That was the essence of a bar, Nozomi supposed.

It had been two weeks since she rode out and away from the manor and Eli. Her plans were halted significantly from Eli’s sudden decision to no longer participate, and now Nozomi found herself working as a barmaid in one of the local taverns to scrape money by.

Despite what anyone might think, this proved to be a hard job. The pay was little to none and she also needed to put aside enough each week to live by. No, life was not faring Nozomi well at that point in time.

Still, she was determined. As soon as she saved up enough, she would be on the next ship out of this dreaded kingdom and into the next. That was her goal all along. With or without Eli.

Eli. Her mind always seemed to find a way to drift back to the blonde, no matter how many times she would lecture herself internally. Her anger had cooled down since that night she escaped and she did regret cursing Eli’s names to the stars, but there was still a deep hollow feeling inside her.

Nozomi wondered if she always had that and Eli had filled it up or if Eli broke a piece of Nozomi’s soul away as she left. Either way was undesirable. But Nozomi couldn’t stop trying to take Eli’s side.

She knew (or thought) Eli had done her wrong. There was a desperate desire to hate her, to regard her in so much anger that it was unimaginable. But Nozomi couldn’t even if she tried. Because whenever she thought of Eli, of course she would think of her unexpected flight. But she also thought of all the times that she would have Eli in her arms, playing with her hair and talking random nonsense with her. Nozomi missed that.

Nozomi was determined not to spend these weeks moping about a past love, however. She had never been this hung up and it wasn’t a shade she liked on herself so she was always trying to change it. Her solution? Find a new girl.

There were always a few women dotted around the tavern and Nozomi spent her shifts checking them out and sizing them up. She was well aware that this wasn’t a noble course of action, but her desperation to feel full again practically knocked her morals clean out of the window.

It was quick for Nozomi to reinforce her sexuality; all the men she laid her eyes on (and that was a lot) were completely unattractive to her. There was just nothing going for them in her eyes. If their looks weren’t enough, their attitudes when they were getting mildly impatient were enough. Nozomi was definitely off limits, especially to the ones who liked to slyly grab at Nozomi as she skirted around tables. They did have one interesting thing about them though; their wives.

Every so often, a man would bring along his wife for a drink too. She usually stayed mostly sober and just sat along, dealing with her husband’s antics until he finally decided they were to go home. These figures were the ones Nozomi spent her time looking at when she was unoccupied by work. Trying to find the perfect one. Well, they all seemed to have a lot going for them. Nozomi wondered why they would marry such atrocious men, but then remembered that it could all have been arranged like a woman she used to know.

Stop. She had to stop thinking about Eli. But none of this was working. No means of distracting herself or looking at the bright side was working. Even when she would indulge in the beauty of other women, there would always be some type of inner thought about how they would never match up to Eli’s beauty.

Painfully, Nozomi came to the realisation that she had hit an all time low. Or rather, Eli had pushed her into an all time low and taken away the ladder. Blaming Eli would help a bit, right? She didn’t even know.

There had never been a point in life where Nozomi was so unsure of things. What was she going to do next? When was she going to do it? Where will she go to? Who with? Part of her wished for her to return to the Ayase Manor. After all, she did have a steady job there that she liked and a steady accommodation.

However, also at Ayase Manor was a certain Eli Ayase. Going back to work at the place that served under her name would be a large chip at her pride. Besides, she would be punished severely before she was even allowed back on the work force for leaving so abruptly. Returning to her old occupation was definitely not an option.

For all of those thoughts, there would always be some sort of wonder about what Eli was doing. What was she doing?

Eli Ayase laid motionless on her bed. After all this time, a locked door was still separating her from the world and she was forced to stay within these four walls. Four walls that she felt like were closing up onto her even more with each day that passed.

Calling Eli insane wouldn’t be the word to describe it, but she was definitely growing sick with all the more time she spent in her bedroom. But no amount of begging or bartering would get her out. Eli had tried it, he was just too strict and still seething somehow after two weeks.

No amount of anything seemed to grant her escape from her situation. Picking the lock had resulted in her hair clip to fall out the other side. Running through when a servant opened the door to feed her had caused her to receive an even harsher beating than before. Eli had even tried to craft her clothes into a ropeway and climb out the window, only to serve herself a bout of humiliation and a boarded up window.

Her motives in her escape attempts were all the same; get to Nozomi. They all centred around Nozomi in some way or another. To make Eli’s imprisonment worse, she also had to carry the burdens of guilt and fear. Only she knew that Nozomi was out there and she couldn’t risk sending anyone to pass her a message.

Eli hoped that some type of word would have spread that she was locked up inside her bedroom, but she also knew that such hope was futile. Her father would never allow those words to escape so simply. Being defied by a woman was embarrassing enough, let alone his own daughter.

So Eli had to wallow around and deal. Culpability that she didn’t deserve weighed on her shoulders at the thought of Nozomi being left wondering what happened. Fright ate her up on the inside as she pondered over whether Nozomi still loved her or had moved on. She really, really hoped it was the first option.

On top of all of these things, Eli also had to deal with the clock ticking down to the marriage. Each day that went by in confinement was also a day closer to the marriage and a day lost trying to escape with Nozomi. If Nozomi even loved her anymore.

Bolted inside like a prisoner rather than a daughter, Eli was sure she had gotten the worst punishment of them all. Thrown into inescapable isolation whilst her own inner demons haunted her and slowly chipped away at her psyche.

For all of those thoughts, there would always be some sort of wonder about what Nozomi was doing. What was she doing?

Nozomi was glad for it to be a mild night in the tavern. Those who were drunk were tipsy at best, there was yet to be any bar fights and the atmosphere was more content than it was paralytic. Hopefully this perfect evening would put the manager in a good mood, and that in itself might give her a pay larger than average.

All of that came crashing down rather quickly though. Just as things were beginning to get busy one night, the door swung loudly open and a hooded figure stumbled through, almost tripping over them self and clattering straight to the floor. Nozomi first disregarded it as a drunk as she turned her gaze over there, but when they regained a clear and steady composure she realised they were sober.

There was something off putting about their appearance, and the people already sipping their drinks seemed to think so too. It wasn’t common that you would see a figure, dressed completely in black with their face obscured. Some might even say it was a bad omen. The figure did look shockingly like the grim.

To try and soothe the damage and keep customers from fearfully calling it a night, the manager decided to be the one to rush to the entrance and serve this stranger. Nozomi watched as they did, noting a small exchange of words as she washed up a tankard for whoever would drink from it next.

When the hooded figure stepped outside, Nozomi assumed that the manager had barred entry for whatever reason. Probably the threatening appearance. So she continued to wash dishes and polish cutlery. All for a few seconds until the manager came up in front of her.

“Tojo. With me, please.” He held out an arm for her to hold and follow him but Nozomi didn’t take it. Instead, she put down her cloth and came out from behind the counter, much to the manager’s clear dismay.

“What’s happening?” Nozomi asked as they walked through the tavern. To the door, she realised.

“The man who just came in here said he wants to speak to you.” The manager explained. “Can’t give us a bad name, can you? Just come back in when he’s done, alright?”

Nozomi had no time to protest or refuse the order before she was suddenly at the door and thrown out of the warmth and into the cold night. The nighttime wasn’t the worst of things though. What was was the fact that now she was standing right across from the frightening figure who for some reason was asking for her.

“W-Who are you?” Nozomi spoke up, trying to act more unbothered than she actually was. That didn’t work, she was clearly nervous. The small stutter gave it all away. No one could blame her. She was a woman alone at night with him. A man she did not even know. Not even his face.

That answer was soon going to be given though, because in no time the figure raised a lanky cloaked arm and ripped the hood off of his body.

“E-Elicchi?!” Nozomi gasped in disbelief, a plethora of emotions hitting her all at once. Confusion, anger, joy. All suddenly in a tsunami that wanted to buckle her over. The first thing she noticed about the girl standing before her were the sapphire ocean eyes.

They were just as she remembered. So soothing, so calming, complimenting her blonde hair like the sea to a coastline. But before Nozomi could react in any way else, before she could even let tears fall, Eli was giving her the shush sign and discreetly pulling her into the alleyway beside the tavern.

It was even darker out here than it was in the main street, but Nozomi could just make out the silhouette of a horse tied against a barrel.

“Nozomi! I’m so sorry! I’m so, so sorry!” Now obscured by blankets of darkness, Eli fell to her knees in front of Nozomi and began sobbing. Loudly. Even amidst Nozomi’s confusion and disbelief, the sight of it pained her to see.

“Just tell me what happened, please.” Nozomi was still quick to insert her dominance, quickly jumping from fearful previously to in charge now she knew who it was. She held out her hand to allow Eli to stand up, and eventually the blonde took it and pulled herself back up to her feet, sobs still racking her body.

Eli explained everything from the moment she had left the stable, all between broken weeping. She told Nozomi all about the hours she spent on the sofa, peering down the vault corridor and waiting for an opening. How she thought she was successful until the last second, when her father caught her and gave her beatings. Rage boiled through Nozomi’s veins when she heard about that.

Next Nozomi was told about how Eli’s mother wasn’t as oblivious as they had first thought, and how she had actually been feeding back Eli’s suspicious behaviour all along. Then she heard about how long she spent in confinement and all the ways she had tried to escape, only to be punished even more. Finally, Eli concluded by informing her that the wedding was in a mere three days, and that was the only reason she was finally allowed out of her room.

By the end of it all, Nozomi knew she was the one who should be feeling guilty. Eli hadn’t ditched her at all. It was quite the opposite. Nozomi had ditched Eli when Eli was in trouble. She had read the situation completely incorrectly and didn’t even bother to inquire into what might have happened.

“No, I’m sorry, Eli…” Nozomi broke out, tears stinging her own eyes. “Please don’t blame this on yourself, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Well, neither did you!” Eli insisted, shaking her head when she noticed the tears swimming in Nozomi’s eyes. Before Nozomi, could say anymore, however, Eli was going over to Renshi and pulled off a larger travelling pouch than before from his reigns. “I couldn’t risk stealing the money again, not like last time. So I got these from my room, we can pawn them off somewhere… Will they be enough?”

The blonde pulled open the bag to reveal all types of riches and jewellery, this time taken straight from her room rather than venturing downstairs to get it.

“Oh, Elicchi…” Nozomi lifted her gaze from the bag of wealth and back up to Eli’s eyes, which were sore from crying. “Just you being here is enough! I’m so sorry I doubted you and left. I should have known something was wrong, I should have known you wouldn’t just leave me.”

Eli shook her head, suddenly throwing herself into Nozomi’s arms and staying there. She whispered sweet nothings into her ear. The entire action was just the outcome of bursts of emotion. Neither of them acted entirely in control because at long last they were reunited after no preparation at all. In this interaction, they simply aimed to enjoy the moment.

They stayed like that for a long time. Both could feel themselves become full again, the pieces of each other that they took away returning to where they belonged. Holding Eli was just how Nozomi remembered. She was warm and inviting and comfortable. Being held by Nozomi made Eli feel safe and secure, like this time nothing was going to get in their way. Eli knew nothing was going to get in their way.

So she broke the contact shortly afterward to get things running again. “We have to be quick before they realise I’m gone and start a search party for me or something. The wedding is in three days, so they’re on extra high alert.”

Nozomi nodded, teasing, “The troubles of having a famous girlfriend.”

“Nozomi!” Eli laughed, the sound causing sweet harmonies to dance around Nozomi’s heart. Oh, how much she had missed that sound.

“I’m joking, you know that. But we’ll go right away. If we’re lucky, there might be a ship at the dock ready to leave.”

Eli nodded with Nozomi’s words and started to follow her lead. She had come this far by herself and now she was reunited with Nozomi. Their escape plan was back on and in full swing.

Nozomi didn’t return back to the tavern as the manager had ordered. Instead she mounted Renshi with Eli at the back, ready to guide them through the village and into their future. This time it was really in reach. And neither of them were going to let go.

Away they went.


	10. The Escape

Riding with Nozomi was no unfamiliar activity for Eli, though it was just now occurring to her that for some reason they had never ridden on the same horseback before at one time. She wished they had, because she couldn’t enjoy the feeling of letting Nozomi take control as she nuzzled into her back when there was the constant nervous weight on her shoulders about what they were both doing.

Eli was also sure to take the opportunity of looking around the village. Despite the fact that she was an heiress over it for her entire life, Eli had never actually been that deeply into it. Horses and carriages just didn’t fit, and there was clearly some hidden prejudice about those who were too poor to live closer to the manor. So Eli spent a lot of the ride gawking at the surroundings. As they got farther away she noticed how the lodgings became more run down and shabby. She wondered which one was Nozomi’s.

As they passed the final row of houses, she furrowed her eyebrows. There was nothing around this area of the village spare from abandoned, breaking structures, much like a ghost ring around the town. Before Eli could even ask where they were going, the answer became present when they started stopping by an abandoned farmhouse.

Dismounting quickly, Nozomi beckoned Eli inside. Whilst Nozomi seemed accustomed and unfazed by the lack of great accommodation, Eli was baffled. She didn’t understand. The farmhouse was quite small and a little grimy, surrounded by great stretches of muddy overgrown grass all around. The scarce coat of paint was almost entirely peeled off of the wood, which in itself was eroding from bad weather.

When they got inside, things didn’t improve. It was dimly lit by a fleeting candle and a little damp from recent rain. On the floor, tucked into a corner, was a flat patch of hay that Nozomi called a bed. Next to that was a tiny pile of golden coins that Nozomi must have been saving for her own departure. Taking up most of the room, however, was the jet black horse - Ochobo - that Nozomi so loved.

Eli was in utter disbelief as she scanned the lodgings. She had never seen such harsh conditions, nor even imagined them when she would dream about the life of the less well off. Maybe her life was more sheltered than she anticipated; that was one of the thoughts that swirled in her mind as she gently ran a hand over gaps in the poor wooden planked wall. The draft came through as a result of these holes, making her shiver despite the warm cloak draped over her and revoke her arm.

What made the situation worse was that she was imagining Nozomi living in this situation. “This is horrible.” Her sapphire eyes looked around, cringing at moss growing from the lack of household maintenance.

“Most people live like it or similar.” Nozomi shrugged, picking up the coins from the ground and counting them up to make sure no one had stolen any.

“I don’t like it.”

“Good thing we’ll be out of here and some place new by dawn then.” Nozomi didn’t want them to be distracted from what was ahead. When she was satisfied with the amount of coins, she held them out to Eli to pocket into the travelling pouch before explaining, “I’m sure if we combine these with what you brought, there’s no doubt we can get onto the next ship out.”

“Aren’t we going to pawn these?” Eli nodded anyway, but lightly shook the bag once she brought it back up and opened it.

“There won’t be enough time. Besides, I’m sure a captain can pawn things off better than two girls can.” Nozomi cracked a tiny joke and even with its largely monotone catch, Eli still found herself laughing softly out loud to it.

It was quick for Nozomi to be ready after that, and soon enough she was saddling up Ochobo and untying him from his makeshift post. The girl seemed grateful as she dropped the frailing rope onto the ground for the last time, smiling up at Eli. “We’re actually doing this.”

This time it was set in stone. There was nothing to go wrong. For now they were together, and that was the most important part of any plan. Goosebumps riddled Eli’s arms though she was unsure whether it was the cold nighttime air or the reality of the situation. Either way, her heart raced at the thought of what was happening.

Finally, after both girls were prepared, they set off for their next location. Carefully attaching the pouch of riches to his saddle, Eli remounted Renshi whilst Nozomi took Ochobo on a trot outside and in front to lead the way.

The nighttime was silent spare for the clatter of horse hooves on the cobbled pathway as they re-entered the more kept areas of the village and exited the desolate outskirts. This gave Eli lots of space to think considering that guiding Renshi was just natural at this point. In fact, she was quite sure that the horse just knew to follow Nozomi and Ochobo at this point, having done it so many times.

But this was the last time. She tried to have it sink in but the fact was so unbelievable, especially when she reminisced all that had happened between the first meeting in the stable and that moment. That day she was bitterly disappointed, having just been informed of her arranged marriage. She was terrified of her own life until she bumped into a mysterious and alluring stablegirl. Now she was riding out of her terrifying future with said stablegirl. Eli blinked, just to make sure it wasn’t a dream. When she opened her eyes, she was still on horseback and still tailing Nozomi. Yes, this was definitely real. Thankfully Nozomi was too focused on the road ahead so she could let a tear or two slip without being teased.

The ride seemed to drag with tension, but after a while Eli managed to just make out a dock. She could just see the pier with a tiny mini beach that was populated with a fisherman’s hut next to it, and as they got closer it only became more clear underneath the pearly moonlight.

Water. A dock filled with it, of course. It shimmered majestically, stretching out as far as the eye could see. It was a boarder. No man’s land, if you will. As soon as she got onto it, she would be an escapee. Free. Free from this kingdom, free from her parents, free from her social pressures and free from her marriage. But most importantly; free to be with Nozomi.

Eli wanted to tear up all over again as Nozomi halted at the front of the dock. The girl in front dismounted and Eli copied when she got closer. When the blonde looked over at her companion however, there wasn’t a sign of happiness or content at all. But rather a sign of trouble.

“There’s not a ship here right now, of course.” Nozomi mumbled and Eli’s heart dropped. How could she have been so stupid? Of all the things a dock was for, she had forgotten to check the main thing - the key to their success.

There was no ship tied up at the harbour. Nothing bobbing at the surface. Just clear space. Everyone was out at sea right now, and no one was unloading imports or taking on exports. That was understandable, obviously. It was late at night, maybe even the early hours of the morning by then. It was wishful thinking to hope that a ship would be taking cargo on board at this very time.

But even so, the emptiness was horrible. Eli was so sure of herself, so adamant that they would make it. And here was an empty dock. The scene was a slap to the face, like someone had practically burst out the water to call Eli foolish. It was ludicrous.

The only type of transport in sight, Eli noticed, was a small fisherman’s boat which was moored at the beach. It was clearly the belonging of whoever lived at the hut.

“It’s fine, we can just wait for tomorrow.” Nozomi suggested, far from the pessimistic one in the relationship, “Imports come in every single day. We will be fine.”

“When? What time do they usually come?” Eli’s eyes lit up with hope.

“Midday.” Only to have it crushed again.

“That’s far too late, Nozomi! Especially if we have to wait hours for the crew to gather passengers and more cargo!” Eli shook her head, the plan crumbling around her. “They’ll come looking for me, we can’t leave it late. We need to act soon.”

Eli was right. Her escape from the manor was a big risk and one she did straight away. There was never a time that she was not on high alert, but this watchful eye had only become more strict since the incident regarding the money. As soon as the sunrise came and someone noticed she was not in bed, alarm bells would go off. There would be a kingdom wide search, and it would only be easy to find where she went off to with the whole population searching around. Then both she and Nozomi would be in trouble. That was not a viable option.

“Okay, okay.” Nozomi nodded, trying to stay calm under pressure. She glanced up at the moon to see it hung almost centric in the sky, give or take a few degrees. This meant the nightfall was about halfway through. They had roughly six hours, give or take, to find an alternate escape.

The two resorted to grabbing the saddles of their horses and pulling them along to the wooden decking of the dock, just to make sure there was nothing. It didn’t have to be an extravagant ship. Anything that could successfully transport them from this kingdom and into the next was enough for them both.

It seemed a lost cause. They looked in every nook and gap, every berth and even underneath. There were no boats. Not a single ship or method of transport. Eli was in turmoil and even Nozomi was beginning to join her there.

That was until she caught something in the corner of her eye.

The beach. The tiny beach. It was much too small for anything significant. No one could enjoy a family day out there for it was a beach of practical use. For fishing use. That’s why it housed only a fisherman’s hut and…

A fisherman’s boat.

In great excitement, Nozomi seized Eli’s arm with the hand that was not busy with holding Ochobo’s reign and sprinted them over there. They arrived in an instant, their feet hitting the dry sand. Eli, oblivious as ever, looked confusedly at Nozomi. So Nozomi pointed at the boat.

Eli understood what she meant straight away, and for a moment her heart rate began to pick up at the thought of their opportunity reopening once more. But, at the same time, there was something immoral about Nozomi’s suggestion. 

“We can’t just steal someone’s boat, that will cost him his job!” The blonde gestured vigorously at the fisherman’s hut. There was no doubt some old fisherman, maybe with a wife and kids, was sleeping away in there. Probably in preparation for his day out in the water gathering cod next.

Nozomi didn’t expect this reaction from her but at the same time she didn’t surprise her. After all, Eli did have a heart of pure gold, even if she did like to obscure it underneath a layer of maturity and level headedness. Well, not really. Not when she was alone with Nozomi, anyway, and that was quite a lot. But still, Nozomi wondered why she had such a strong reaction to the idea.

“I just saw your ‘home’, Nozomi.” Eli explained, sensing her curiosity. “It was horrible. I have never seen anything like it, and…” She shook her head, “I would feel bad doing that to someone else.”

Her worries made Nozomi realise why she was in love with this girl for what must have been the thousandth time. She was so kindhearted and so considerate, even if it was at the cost of her own benefit. But that was the problem; the cost wasn’t only her benefit, it was Nozomi’s too. “Elicchi, you know we have to. You said what would happen if we didn’t.”

She was referring to a search party and them being separated. Eli was conflicted. On one hand, Nozomi was completely correct. On the other, she would have to have the conscience of knowing she impoverished someone. 

But wouldn’t Nozomi make that burden easier to bear? Isn’t this goal all she was working towards? Wasn’t she just thinking about how there was nothing else in the way of her freedom. Eli’s heart was talking her into it with no objection from her mind, and before she could think herself out of it…

“Okay. We’ll take their boat.”

Nozomi was overjoyed but tried not to show it too much. She would when they had finished the task at hand, when they were completely safe. After all, she didn’t want to build up her hopes only to crush them again. So she continued quickly, “Let’s go and undock it.”

They both left Renshi and Ochobo at the shore whilst they approached the coastline. There was a small drop from the surface to the water of about half a metre. As they peered over it, they could see the boat properly.

It was a little old, clearly. The wood looked like it had seen better days and some of it was splintering around the edge. The oars were chewed away at by mites and sat lazily at the back. It would still work though, and neither girl was picky about their means of transport.

Besides, that wasn’t the worst thing to happen. Eli noticed it first, her heart dropping as she did.

“It’s too small.” Her voice was shaky. Now, not too small for two people. Both Eli and Nozomi would manage to cram just fine into the boat, and have, though limited, some space to move around in. As if on cue, both the girls looked at the horses, who were grazing the sand in curiosity.

Renshi and Ochobo. In both cases, two lifelong companions. Their respective animal was there longer than the other one was. And the steeds had always stayed obedient and loyal, right up to this very moment. But now they posed a problem. The boat was not large enough to fit even one of them on, let alone two.

“What do we do?” Eli asked, her voice uneasy. She already knew the answer.

So did Nozomi, though she didn’t want to admit it to herself, let alone Eli. But she knew she was in charge and she knew she was heavily relied on. “Elicchi… we have to leave them behind.”

Those words were hard to say. They almost caught in her throat but she managed to catch herself before she allowed that to happen. Sacrifices were necessary. Even if they were big ones. They both knew that. Solemnly, Eli didn’t object. She took a while to nod in agreement though.

Both of them went back to the horses. People murmur that horses are smart animals and they would be right, for Renshi and Ochobo seemed to recognise what was happening. They both stood back up on all fours and trotted to their respective companions.

First, Renshi to Eli. The blonde tried not to cry as she immediately wrapped her arms around his neck. He was still warm, even now. Eli didn’t want to say goodbye. “Thank you…” she mumbled into his ear as if he could understand. “Be good, okay?” She cracked a tiny smile as she pulled away.

Nozomi gently ran her fingers through Ochobo’s mane, scratching that spot she knew he liked. “Thank you, friend.” she whispered, now also hugging his neck. Memories came to her of all the times she would ride on him, whether alone or with Eli. Like the blonde in question, tears also wanted to protrude from Nozomi’s eyes. As if Nozomi would let them.

They both walked away and stepped back from their steeds. Looking at them both, despite the fact they were animals, they both seemed to be united in a sense of loss and sadness at the situation. It was that deep that they could sense it, even without understanding. Yet, even during the embraces, neither clung on or tried to object to their companion leaving. People murmur that horses are not only smart but noble ones too. That would also be right, because although they were affected, they allowed their owners to leave. They knew it was for the best.

After a little while longer, both girls mutually and silently agreed to go back to the tiny fisherman’s boat. Back at the drop, Nozomi gently lifted Eli up and placed her securely in the boat, causing her to giggle a little at the feeling of being on top of the world. This only made Nozomi’s heart jump as she herself climbed down from the drop and entered the boat in a more rough fashion.

They were in the water. Eli noticed that now. She observed closely as Nozomi leant up and pulled at the rope tying the boat to the shore, all the way until it untied and they were free. That was the final restraint broken.

Nozomi used and oar and gave them a push, and now they were drifting away.

It was gentle and slow, calming and therapeutic. Eli thought to herself for a moment. It was over. All was over. Distance built between their boat and the shore and they both watched as the kingdom became smaller and smaller as a result. First they lost sight of the manor, obscured by a cloud. Then the town became too tiny to make out. The horses on the shore were penultimate, becoming silhouettes blurred into the charcoal sky. Then the coastline finally faded away, and there they were. Alone and together. Free.

Both of them looked from where the kingdom was once visible and to each other.

“We did it. Not in the way we planned, but we did it.” Eli spoke first.

“We did do it.” Nozomi confirmed.

For a moment they stared at each other. Their features were lit up underneath the moonlight. Nozomi’s eyes were glittering as she stared into Eli’s own. Eli’s lips somehow seemed softer. There was a certain calming spell that was set onto both of them as they just basked in the feeling. Nothing was in the way anymore. They had overcome the final obstacle, outran the competition, crossed the border. Now they were with each other.

Surprisingly, Nozomi’s eyes began to water first.

“I love you, Elicchi. So much.” Nozomi spoke out loud. Her words were solid, like she was never so sure of something in her life. And she wasn’t.

“I love you too, Nozomi.” Eli wiped the tears as they fell to Nozomi’s cheeks with the pad of her thumb, even though her own eyes were beginning to leak too.

And finally, they were happy.

They shared their first kiss as a free couple on a tiny fisherman’s boat underneath the pale moonlight. The boat rocked gently as they did but remained stable, just as they did so many times.

And as they pulled apart, they looked in the opposite direction of the kingdom. Was that a new shoreline forming? A new kingdom? Neither of them could make out a shape in the dark. All they knew was that whatever was across the water was no obstacle too big for them to overcome.

Their future was on the other side. Hand in hand, they were coming to grasp it together. After all, they had each other. And that was all they ever needed.

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first chaptered fic that i’ve written and completed in full so i’m so, so proud of it.
> 
> updates will be every 2-3 days.
> 
> thank you so much for reading. :)


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